The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) will finalise seat-sharing arrangements with its allies for the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections within four days, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Friday.
Palaniswami, who met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday night, said discussions were progressing smoothly and would be resolved amicably.
“You will know everything in four days. We will finalise and announce the constituencies allotted. Talks here are smooth and perfect. Our objective is to allocate seats to allies where they have strong winning prospects,” he told reporters.
The AIADMK is leading the state unit of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AMMK and PMK.
He added that senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal is expected to visit Tamil Nadu on Saturday to further the negotiations.
Dismissing speculation about a possible tie-up with actor Vijay’s party, Palaniswami reiterated that no talks had been held with the TVK and asserted that the NDA alliance in the state had already been finalised.
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On the electoral contest, the AIADMK leader said the main fight would be between the NDA and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance, accusing the state government of corruption and deterioration in law and order.
“The DMK government’s only achievement is corruption. It has not introduced any new schemes for the state,” he alleged.
Palaniswami also said the party’s election manifesto would be released within a week, adding that he had already announced certain promises, including a one-time financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to help people cope with economic hardship.
Meanwhile, AIADMK ally and AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran criticised Chief Minister M K Stalin for questioning NDA leaders’ meetings in Delhi, asserting that such interactions were routine and politically necessary.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran also defended the meetings, saying there was nothing unusual about alliance leaders consulting the Union Home Minister.
Polling for the 234-member Assembly will be held on April 23.
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