BJP High Command To Decide On Alliance, CM Candidate: Murugan

Tamil Nadu has confirmed its alliance with the BJP and also announced Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami as the CM candidate for the Assembly elections due in 4-5 months time,  the State Unit of the BJP today said a decision on alliance and the CM nominee would be decided by the party high command.

Talking to reporters here, he said though the AIADMK had confirmed its alliance with the BJP and also announced that it would face the polls by projecting Mr Palaniswami as the CM candidate, a final decision would be taken by the BJP high command.

The Party high command would take a final call with whom the BJP should have the alliance and who the CM candidate will be and make an announcement, he added. 'Those accepting BJP's CM choice alone can be part of our alliance', he added.

Taking exception to it, senior AIADMK leader and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said Mr Murugan's remarks were not acceptable. When Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself has accepted that Mr Palaniswami is the CM candidate, Mr Murugan expressing a divergent view need not be taken seriously, he added. 

Mr Murugan's remarks come a few hours after Mr Palaniswami, who is also the Co-coordinator of the AIADMK, hitting the campaign trail after offering prayers at the Sendraya Perumal temple in Periyasoragai village in his Edappadi Assembly constituency.

Mr Palaniswami, who was already announced as the AIADMK's Chief Ministerial candidate that put at rest some intra-party differences, had already confirmed that his party's alliance with the BJP, forged in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, would continue, a fact also affirmed by Party Coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam at an event in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the city.