Although the political alliances in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections seem to be sealed, there are murmurs of internal strife in the AIADMK - BJP combine that are doing the rounds.
According to reports, Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK), led by Vijayakant has demanded that it be treated on an equal-footing with Ramadoss’s Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) which means that DMDK is eyeing a good eight-seat share in the Lok Sabha polls. Senior leaders of the party have also emphasised that Vijayakant is not willing to settle for anything less than what PMK has been offered.
DMDK’s contention arises from the basis that PMK is strong only in the northern region of Tami Nadu while DMDK has polled votes across the state and hence DMDK deserved more than the paltry three or four seats which the AIADMK apparently has in mind. DMDK is also extremely disappointed that AIADMK and the BJP have finalised the alliance without even sitting down for talks with it.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and senior BJP leader, Pon Radhakrishnan on Wednesday said that BJP was not interfering in the talks between AIADMK and the DMDK. Speaking to reporters at Trichy, he said that besides DMDK, other parties are also being roped in to join the alliance.
DMDK founder Vijayakant returned from the US recently, where he was away due to health issues, just in time for the seat-sharing talks. DMDK was founded in 2005 and tasted success in one seat -- that of Vijayakant -- in 2006 state assembly elections. In 2011, the tide turned and DMDK allied with the AIADMK and won 29 seats out of the 40 seats it had contested. However, the victory did not last long since the alliance broke up immediately after the elections and nine DMDK MLAs defected to the ruling camp.