Tamil Nadu BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Thursday clarified that the seat-sharing arrangement between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the AIADMK for the forthcoming Assembly elections would be decided by the national leadership of both parties in consultation with the alliance leadership.
Speaking to reporters at Kamalalayam, the TN BJP headquarters, Nagenthran said that BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami would hold discussions to finalise the number of seats to be allotted to the BJP. “There is still time for the election notification. The leaders concerned will make a decision at the appropriate time,” he added.
Addressing speculation that BJP might demand a larger share of seats based on its previous vote share, Nagenthran said such claims were misplaced. “A party cannot demand seats in an alliance solely on the basis of votes it secured in earlier elections. Every election takes place in a different political context,” he noted.
He emphasised that seat-sharing will be guided by the common objective of unseating the DMK government. Nagenthran pointed to issues such as the rise in property tax, increased electricity tariffs, spread of ganja, and concerns over women’s safety under the present regime as reasons why the alliance is united against the ruling party.
On the DMK-led alliance, he commented that the Congress party had to fight hard to secure its share of seats, obtaining 28 Assembly constituencies and one Rajya Sabha seat in negotiations.
Criticising Chief Minister M K Stalin, who also holds the home portfolio, Nagenthran alleged that the law-and-order situation was not being handled effectively and said, “The people have begun to reject this form of family rule. The coming election will give the answer.”
The BJP-AIADMK alliance’s seat-sharing strategy is now expected to be finalised in the coming weeks as election preparations intensify across the state.