Chennai: With just a few months left for general elections, the ruling AIADMK will start receiving nominations from the aspirants who wish to contest the ensuing Lok Sabha polls from tomorrow for all the Parliamentary constituencies in the state and neighbouring Puducherry Union Territory.
A week after setting in motion its election work by forming panels to negotiate with prospective allies on seat sharing and drafting party manifesto, the AIADMK has decided to invite application from the aspirants for 39 LS seats in Tamilnadu and lone Puducherry seat as well from tomorrow.
The decision to invite application for all the seats has raised questions over the speculation of its alliance with the BJP. Sources in AIADMK said that a section of senior leaders in the party was not in favour of a pre-poll alliance with the BJP as it might backfire.
Elections are expected to be announced soon as Modi government has completed nearly five years term at office.
Political parties have already started unofficial rounds of talks for an alliance in the State. The main opposition party DMK has already confirmed that it will contest in the upcoming General Elections in alliance with the Congress.
Vaiko’s Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) lead by Thol Thirumavalavan have though not yet officially announced their alliance, but are seen inching close towards DMK.
The AIADMK has already announced three committees – for sheat sharing, manifesto preparation, and election campaigning.
Deputy coordinators KP Munusamy and R Vaithhilingam, Ministers P Thangamani, SP Velumani, and organisational secretary JCD Prabakar have been named members of the seat-sharing committee.
Former Ministers C Ponnaiyan, Natham R Viswanathan, ministers D Jayakumar, CV Shanmugam, organisational secretaries S Semmalai, PH Manoj Pandiyan and former Rajya Sabha Member Rabi Bernard are announced as Members of the Election Manifesto preparation Committee.
A seven-member committee helmed by Lok Sabha deputy speaker Thambidurai has been named as coordinators for the campaigners for the party’s candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. The committee includes minister Dindigul Sreenivasan, KA Sengottaiyan, former ministers B Valarmathi, S Gokula Indira, Vaigai Selvan and parliamentary AIADMK party leader P Venugopal.
However, one notable exclusion from these panels is MP V Maitreyan and one who represented the Panneerselvam group when the Election Commission in 2017 held deliberations on the issue of freezing the symbol of two leaves and allotting it to the unified party.