Chennai, 20 March (H.S.): With the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections approaching, negotiations within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have entered a decisive stage, prompting key regional leaders to engage directly with the central leadership in New Delhi.
In a significant development, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss and AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran travelled to the national capital on Friday to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Their visits come amid growing indications that the alliance is working to quickly finalise seat-sharing arrangements and present a united front.
The latest round of consultations follows AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s meeting with Shah on Thursday night, which is believed to have focused on ironing out differences and accelerating the decision-making process within the alliance.
While the leaders have remained cautious in their public statements, the series of meetings suggests that the BJP is actively coordinating with its Tamil Nadu partners to streamline electoral preparations and ensure clarity on constituency allocation.
Speaking to reporters at Chennai airport before boarding his flight, Dhinakaran downplayed speculation surrounding his visit, stating that it was not exclusively intended for alliance discussions. However, he reaffirmed that the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) continues to be a part of the NDA and acknowledged that Amit Shah is leading the coalition at the national level. He also revealed that he had received an invitation from Shah four days ago, suggesting that the meeting had been scheduled in advance.
Meanwhile, Palaniswami, who returned to Chennai after his meeting with Shah, expressed confidence that the AIADMK-BJP seat-sharing talks would be finalised within the next four days. He described the discussions as smooth and indicated that there were no major hurdles in reaching an agreement.
He also said the AIADMK would release its election manifesto within a week, signalling that the party is gearing up for an intensive campaign.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
