Tamil Maanila Congress gets 6 seats, inks seat-sharing pact with AIADMK

The ruling AIADMK sealed a seat-sharing pact with Tamil Maanila Congress on Thursday, allotting six seats to the party for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Pattukottai, Tiruvika Nagar, Erode East, Lalgudi, Thoothukudi, Killiur constituencies were allotted to Tamil Maanila Congress by AIADMK after multiple rounds of negotiations. As per reports, Tamil Maanila Congress had demanded 12 seats be allotted, however, AIADMK refused to budge and signed the seat-sharing pact agreeing to allot 6 seats. 

AIADMK-led NDA alliance

AIADMK finalized its alliance with Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), allowing the latter to field candidates from 23 constituencies under the alliance. Meanwhile, AIADMK allotted 20 seats to NDA ally BJP along with the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency where the saffron party plans to field Pon Radhakrishnan. Former AIADMK ally All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi has decided to opt-out of the alliance and has joined hands with Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam. Captain' Vijaykanth's DMDK decided to pull out of the AIADMK-led NDA alliance ahead of Assembly elections in the state. DMDK's move to split with NDA comes after multiple rounds of seat-sharing talks between DMDK and AIADMK remained inconclusive. Earlier, DMDK had demanded AIADMK to allot the same number of seats given to PMK and had threatened to exit the alliance if the demand wasn't met. 

Tamil Nadu Assembly polls

The TN elections will be held on April 6 and the result will be declared on May 2. The two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS), reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. He has also announced a slew of social measures like Pongal gift hampers, farm loan waiver, free COVID-19 vaccines, passing school students, etc which has been slammed by DMK M K Stalin calling it 'pre-poll appeasement'.  Meanwhile, ex-CM Karunanidhi's successor - DMK chief MK Stalin eyes his maiden CM term as DMK cannot afford to lose a third straight Assembly election after sweeping the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 38 seats.