Owaisi hails AIMIM-AMMK alliance in Tamil Nadu, calls it 'third political alternative'

A day after entering into an alliance with TTV Dinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), the All India Majilis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that the alliance will give a third political alternative to the people of Tamil Nadu in the upcoming elections. 

Elaborating on the same, he said, "We will contest three seats in alliance with TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK in Vaniyambadi, Sankarapuram and Krishnagiri. On March 12, we will hold a joint campaign to give people a third political alternative."

AMMK-AIMIM alliance 

In a surprising move, on Monday, AMMK announced an alliance with Owaisi's AIMIM for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, with Dhinakaran announcing on Monday that AIMIM will contest three seats Vaniyambadi, Krishnagiri, and Sankarapuram. TTV Dhinakaran's announcement on AMMK-AIMIM joining hands came a week after former Jayalalithaa aide VK Sasikala announced her 'retirement' from politics. 

It is pertinent to mention here that Saskila, the day she quit politics, had urged the AIADMK cadre to unite ahead of the polls and fight the DMK to 'continue Amma's AIADMK rule in Tamil Nadu for 100 years. AIADMK has asserted that no one can pressurise his party to include AMMK in the AIADMK-led alliance, ruling out a possibility of reconciliation with Sasikala and AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran.

Seat-sharing

Reportedly, AIADMK has allotted BJP - 20 seats and Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat, while MDMK will contest 23 seats. The remaining seats will be contested by the ruling AIADMK which has fielded incumbent CM E Palaniswami as its CM candidate. DMK too has allotted 25 seats to Congress, 6 to CPM, 6 to MDMK, and 3 to IUML.

Tamil Nadu polls 

Tamil Nadu will hold polls in a single phase in 38 districts on April 6 to elect a total of 234 members to the Legislative Assembly. Earlier, the contest for the seats was mainly between the Congress-DMK combine and BJP and AIADMAK, but with a third alliance coming up, the contest has further intensified. 

(with inputs from ANI)