Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), under the leadership of Premalatha Vijayakanth, has announced its conditions for joining an alliance ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party has made it clear that it will only align with a coalition that guarantees them 14 Lok Sabha seats and 1 Rajya Sabha seat.With both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) extending offers for an alliance, DMDK has laid out its terms, signaling a calculated approach to electoral alliances in Tamil Nadu.
“We have three options for the Lok Sabha polls 2024, either with AIADMK or BJP or to go alone. We demand 14 Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha seat, whoever agrees to this, we are ready to ally with them,” stated DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakanth.
The decision was reached during the party’s general council meeting held in Chennai, where nine other resolutions were also adopted. Premalatha dismissed speculations surrounding alliance talks with other parties, asserting the party’s focus on securing favorable terms for its participation in the upcoming elections.
It is worth noting that DMDK, which contested 14 seats in the BJP-led front during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, had initially sought seats in ‘double digits’ from AIADMK. However, when their demands were not met by the Dravidian party, DMDK ultimately forged an alliance with the BJP.