Chennai: The Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have decided to fight the next assembly elections jointly. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad made the announcement after meeting DMK chief M Karunanidhi. "I am more than sure that we will form a government under the leadership of DMK.
On seat sharing, he said further talks would take place with the DMK. Welcoming the alliance, DMK treasurer M K Stalin said "Congress has promised full cooperation. Karunanidhi has already given an invite to DMDK. We are hopeful of a positive response."
BJP gets Jayalalithaa’s tie-up signal
Meanwhile, BJP which was struggling to find a suitable alliance partner, received a positive signal from the ruling AIADMK for a possible tie-up. Talks are on at the highest level, and the BJP has conveyed that it wants to fight at least 25 seats in districts the party feels it has significant influence, according to sources. The BJP has come down from its initial demand for 100 seats and is now eyeing 60 in the upcoming Assembly elections, it is learnt.
According to sources, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s initial stance of going it alone has been “diluted”, especially after the DMK-Congress alliance reports. Although they are not major players in the state, the Left parties, too, could join the Opposition alliance. Besides, the AIADMK is apprehending some erosion in its support base over the Jayalalithaa government’s handling of the Chennai floods, which came in for widespread criticism.
“The AIADMK is almost like an ally for us in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, where we need the party’s backing. The BJP does not want to antagonise Jayalalithaa,” the source reasoned. The “warm relationship” between Jayalalithaa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also a factor driving this possible alliance, a party leader said.
To shore up prospects of a victory, the BJP is also trying to woo MDMK, which had broken ties with the BJP immediately after the Lok Sabha elections over the Modi government’s handling of Sri Lankan Tamils issue. The saffron party is in touch with actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth’s DMDK, too.
