NDA finalises seat sharing for Tamil Nadu polls; AIADMK gets 178 seats, BJP 27
Edappadi K Palaniswami announces BJP gets 27 seats, PMK 18 and AMMK 11, as the NDA wraps up seat-sharing ahead of April 23 Tamil Nadu assembly polls
The AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Monday (March 23) finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the April 23 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami announcing that his party would contest 178 seats, BJP 27, PMK 18, and AMMK 11.
Talks concluded swiftly
Palaniswami made the announcement at a packed press conference at the party headquarters, Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Maaligai, in the presence of senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran.
He said talks with remaining alliance partners were still ongoing and would be concluded by Monday night, with the names of constituencies to be shared shortly after.
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Palaniswami took a dig at the DMK-Congress combine over the coalition's prolonged seat-sharing deadlock.
"Piyush Goyal, Nainar Nagenthran, L Murugan, Anbumani Ramadoss and TTV Dhinakaran came in the morning, it was decided in the afternoon and the decision is being announced in the evening," he said, contrasting it with what he described as a "war of words" in the rival camp.
Hits back at DMK
He also responded to DMK criticism over his visit to Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Palaniswami questioned why DMK MP Kanimozhi had herself visited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the capital. He also attacked the DMK for aligning with Congress, invoking the party's role in the Emergency of 1975-77.
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PMK leader Anbumani separately clarified that his own Delhi visit was for Rajya Sabha-related purposes and that he did not meet Amit Shah.
Confident of winning 210 seats
Palaniswami also described ADMK's alliance as one marked by "bonding" and called it a "victorious" combine, expressing confidence it would win at least 210 of Tamil Nadu's 234 assembly seats. "The alliance will win and AIADMK will form the government," he asserted.