AIADMK sets Sunday deadline for Captain’s party

As an indicator, the AIADMK headquarters on Friday released interview schedule for those aspiring to contest in the upcoming polls. A joint statement issued by party convenor O Panneerselvam and his deputy Edappadi K Palaniswami urged the aspirants from western and southern Tamil Nadu to attend the interview in person on Monday.

For those from northern Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and delta region, the interaction will be on Tuesday from 10 am to 4pm, the release said.

If AIADMK sources are to be believed, party senior leaders were not happy at the way DMDK has been approaching the alliance talks. Moreover, the fiasco that happened on Wednesday during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the AIADMK leadership rethink the need of DMMK into the alliance, sources said.

“DMDK held alliance talks simultaneously with both the DMK and AIADMK camps the same day. This did not go down well with AIADMK leaders who asked DMDK to accept their terms and join in the alliance by Sunday”, said a party source.

DMDK had also sent their two district secretaries for talks with DMK Treasurer Durai murugan to discuss alliance at the time when DMK Deputy Secretary, LK Sudhish was holding talks with Union Railway Minister, Piyush Goyal, BJP in-charge for the state.

DMDK’s move of seeking alliance with both DMK and AIADMK has strengthened the voice of AIADMK leaders, who did not like DMDK’s presence from the beginning. Sources said that it was due to BJP pressure that AIADMK was holding alliance talks with DMDK.

“However, DMDK is still adamant on their demand of seven seats, similar to PMK but we are in no mood to concede more than four seats to the party. One of the key instructions given to DMDK by our leadership is that the party cannot afford to give more than four seats. If DMDK accepts four seats they can be part of the alliance”, an AIADMK insider said.

DMDK Treasurer Premalatha Vijayakant has also claimed that the alliance would be finalised in two days at a press meet here.

According to AIADMK sources the list of candidates from the AIADMK is to be finalised by next week as the seat identification with BJP and PMK was almost over. The BJP is keen on seats like Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Kanniyakumari, while the PMK wants to contest in its traditional strongholds comprising Dharmapuri, Salem, Arakkonam,Cuddalore and Sriperumbudur, sources said.