Chennai: Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and Chief Minister and AIADMK joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami today held a meeting with the senior members of the party.
Sources said that the strategy and seat sharing for the upcoming Assembly elections were discussed during the meeting.
Even as this meeting was taking place, it is said that the DMDK representatives refused to meet Minister S P Velumani and P Thangamani to discuss about seat sharing. Sources said that DMDK representatives were disappointed that AIADMK did not give them the importance that PMK was given.
Panneerselvam-Palaniswami’s meeting with the senior party members has come a day after the two heads of the AIADMK held discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah about seat sharing. Sources said, the discussions began around 10 pm on Sunday and went on till the early hours of Monday.
It was reported that BJP had been demanding at least 30 seats, which the the ruling party said was a difficult demand to meet, even as it had allotted 23 seats for its ally PMK last week. Though the PMK was part of the AIADMK-led Front in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, it would be facing the Assembly elections as an ally of the ruling party after a gap of 20 years.
Amit Shah had earlier arrived in Tamilnadu and addressed a public meeting in Villupuram on Sunday. At the meet, he lauded the AIADMK government for its effective handling of the corona pandemic, while launching a strong offensive on the opposition DMK and its ally Congress for pursuing family politics.
Launching a blistering attack, Shah said both the parties are synonymous with corruption. Meanwhile, Akhila India Moovendhar Munntera Kazhagam has merged with the AIADMK. AIMMK’s founder Sethuraman met Panneerselvam today and announced the merger. It is said that Sethuraman has asked to contest from three seats.