AIADMK says is looking at coalition for 2019 polls, will play lead role

The ruling faction of AIADMK is likely to join hands with other parties to contest the upcoming election.

It may be recalled that the party invited applications a week ago from candidates aspiring to contest in all the Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. There are 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry

AIADMK’s Coordinator and Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam told reporters that the party would lead the electoral coalition for the upcoming general polls.

He said the party is in discussions with national- and state-level parties for an alliance.

His statement lead to rumours that the party will align with BJP, since its rival DMK has tied up with Congress and other parties including the Left.

The AIADMK party is also interested in roping in parties like DMDK and PMK as its electoral allies.

AIADMK had won 37 of the 39 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. This time, however, the party will be contesting national polls under a new leadership for the first time after the death of Jayalalithaa, who passed away in December 2016.

After her demise, the party split into three, and later into two factionsm, one of which is now headed by Chief Minister Palaniswamy and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and the second by Jayalalithaa's close aide V K Sasikala's nephew T T V Dhinakaran, who launched a new party and took R K Nagar, which fell vacant after Jayalalithaa's passing away.

-PTI