Next President of India: OPS faction of AIADMK also extends support to Kovind

On Wednesday, Edappadi Palanisamy camp of the AIADMK had announced its decision to support the NDA candidate

It is added strength for the NDA with Panneerselvam camp of the AIADMK also extending support to Ram Nath Kovind as the next president of India. With Panneerselvam camp's support, the NDA will get votes of 12 MLAs and 12 MPs from the AIADMK.

Despite being a divided house, the AIADMK has extended collective support to the BJP. The decision from Panneerselvam camp comes a day after he praised Narendra Modi. In an interview, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had praised Modi for giving the people a corruption-free government. "BJP National President Amit Shah spoke to me and requested for our support. We have accepted his request and have decided to extend support to Ram Nath Kovind in the Presidential election," O Panneerselvam told reporters in Chennai on Thursday. On Wednesday, Edappadi Palanisamy camp said that they decided to extend support to Kovind's candidature after Prime Minister Modi spoke to Chief Minister Palanisamy.

The AIADMK collectively has 5.36 percent vote share in the Presidential Electoral College. With both factions supporting Kovind, the NDA now has enough numbers to sail through the Presidential elections.

The AIADMK carries a vote share of 5.36 percent with 135 MLAs and 50 MPs. The vote of each AIADMK MP, similar to MPs from other states, is valued at 708 while each AIADMK MLA's vote is valued at 176. The AIADMK has 37 MPs in Lok Sabha and 13 in Rajya Sabha. Votes in Parliament will translate to 35,400 and stands at 23,760 from assembly with a total value pegged at 59,160 votes.

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