Actor Vijaykanth has quit the AIADMK-BJP alliance
New Delhi:
BJP Tamil Nadu president L Murugan has said that actor Vijaykanth’s party DMDK leaving the AIADMK-led coalition for the state Assembly elections will not affect the winning chances of the alliance.
Addressing a press conference after the BJP’s central election committee (CEC) meeting on Saturday, he said, “We have informed our interests to the CEC. The list of BJP’s candidates will be announced soon.”
Asked about the DMDK’s exit from the alliance, he said: “The AIADMK is the leader of the alliance. We are junior partners in the alliance. The parties that bid farewell to the alliance had discussions with AIADMK. We are unaware of the discussions.”
“We welcome the decision taken by the AIADMK. The alliance partners’ exit from the alliance will not affect our winning chance. We will win and form the government,” he added.
Mr Murugan said there will be an adequate representation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes’ community and women in the BJP candidates’ list.
The BJP’s central election committee was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP chief JP Nadda at BJP headquarters along with top leaders from the respective states.
The 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2.
Ruling AIADMK is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP. DMK has joined hands with Congress. Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan’s party Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) is also in the fray.
In the 2016 Assembly elections, the AIADMK won 134 seats, DMK 80 seats and Congress managed to secure only 8 seats. The BJP drew a blank.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)