DMDK, BJP in talks for alliance

The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) on Thursday said that it had begun talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party for an alliance ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections. Elections for all the 39 seats in the state will be held on April 24. The DMDK, led by actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth, is the biggest opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly.

The development comes a after the Election Commission announced dates for the Lok Sabha elections, which will be held in nine phases from April 7 to May 12.  Tamil Nadu would elect all the 39 members for the 16th Lok Sabha on a single day, April 24.

Ina statement today, DMDK said, "The party has decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections through an alliance and talks are on with the BJP".

BJP's Tamil Nadu President, Pon Radhakrishnan said that seat sharing will be concluded in a day or two with DMDK.

BJP has already come to an understanding with the Vaiko-led MDMK and it is reportedly also in the final stage of inking a deal with Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in the state.

DMDK managed to grab the role of main opposition in the State Assembly after it won 29 seats of the 41 seats it contested in the 2011 Assembly Election. Till 2011, state politics was dominated by two dravidian parties - J Jayalaithaa-led by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and M Karunanidhi led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

In the 2011 assembly elections, AIADMK bagged 150 seats and was voted to power, replacing Karunanidhi's government. Th DMK won only 23 seats. The DMDK chose to partner with the AIADMK in the 2011 assembly polls.

Today's development had put an end to a month-long drama and speculation on whether the DMDK woudl join BJP or Congress. Vijaykanth had met the Prime Minister last month.

Both the national parties were trying hard to rope in DMDK, as the party managed to grab 10 per cent vote share in its first parliamentary election in 2009, up from eight per cent in the 2006 assembly polls. This happened a only few months after Vijayakanth launched his political party.

Besides, last month DMDK held a rally in Villupuram district, and managed to attract a huge crowd, sending a message that the DMDK is an attractive poll proposition.

The major hurdle is that, like the DMK and PMK, the DMDK is also a family-run party. While the party's Supermo is its founder Vijayakanth, the second and third in command are Vijayakanth's wife Premalatha and her brother Sudeesh respectively.