AIADMK, DMK continue seat-sharing talks with allies for TN polls

Chennai, Mar 02: Dravidian majors AIADMK and DMK on Tuesday continued seat-sharing talks with their respective key allies BJP and Congress for the coming Tamil Nadu assembly elections but no outcome emerged.

While a senior BJP leader said the party wanted to finalise the pact before Union Home Minister Amith Shah's expected visit later this week, the state Congress said the talks with DMK were cordial.

The ruling AIADMK, which has already sealed its deal with PMK allotting it 23 seats, held talks with BJP, whose delegation included Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy and party's state election in-charge.

It also continued discussions with actor Vijayakant-led DMDK on sharing of the seats for the April 6 polls.

The AIADMK side was represented by senior leaders including K P Munusamy and R Vaithilingam, party sources said.

A senior BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, said the party wanted to clinch the seat-sharing deal before Shah's expected visit on March 7 to the state for a public meeting where all the alliance leaders could share the dais.

However, there was no word on the seats sought by the BJP from the AIADMK.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K S Alagiri said the talks with DMK Treasurer and Lok Sabha MP TR Baalu-led delegation were 'cordial'.

He declined to say how many seats the national party has sought but said a decision on the seat allocation might be made in another two days.

"They (DMK delegation) need to talk to their leaders, and so do we," he told reporters.

DMK held similar discussions with allies CPI and CPI(M).

CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan said "we have insisted on our numbers and they have expressed their difficulties," vis-a-vis allocation to other coalition partners, he said.

Single phase polls to 234 assembly seats in the state would be held on April 6.