AIADMK and PMK join hands ahead of Lok Sabha polls
Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK announced a poll alliance with the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) today and allotted seven Lok Sabha seats to it for the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. Announcing the deal in the presence of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, AIADMK coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said it has also been decided that the PMK will be allocated a Rajya Sabha seat.
S Ramadoss called the coalition 'an alliance for people's welfare'
Under the deal, the PMK will be supporting the AIADMK in the bypolls expected to 21 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, said Panneerselvam. A formal agreement in this regard was signed between the leadership of the two parties in a hotel in Chennai. PMK founder leader S Ramadoss described the coalition as "an alliance for people's welfare, a mega-coalition, and a victorious alliance".
'Coalition will be successful in all constituencies in TN, Puducherry'
"To retrieve the rights of Tamil Nadu people, we have made a 10-point charter of demands," Ramadoss said. The demands include declaring the Cauvery delta districts as a protected farm region, a caste-wise census be held in TN and seven Rajiv case convicts be set free. "This coalition will be successful in all the 40 constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry," he said.
Ramadoss' son, Anbumani to explain rationale for aligning with AIADMK
Ramadoss said that the rationale for aligning with the AIADMK will be explained by his son and former Union Health Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss later. S.Velumani, P Thangamani, and D Jayakumar were among the state ministers who were present for the talks in the hotel.
