Amit Shah meets Gurumurthy & RSS cadre as he wraps up Chennai visit on road to TN polls

Union Home Minister Amit Shah ended his Day 1 of Chennai visit by meeting RSS ideologue and Thuglak Editor S Gurumurthy and on Day 2, he met the RSS cadre before his scheduled return to New Delhi. Amit Shah's visit has served as a kickstart to BJP's campaign in Tamil Nadu and a boost to party workers as the saffron party currently has a meagre presence in the state assembly. With Shah's visit, speculations of AIADMK going alone in the polls have been put to rest with Deputy CM and AIADMK councillor O Paneerselvam's announcing that alliance with BJP will continue. As Amit Shah leaves Chennai, all eyes are set to the poll strategy of the NDA alliance which will face Stalin-led DMK that has already embarked on its campaign trail.

READ | Amit Shah Likely To Meet Rajinikanth On Nov 21 Chennai Visit In Run Up To Tamil Nadu Polls

AIADMK-BJP alliance to continue: OPS

In a massive boost to the saffron party ahead of the Tamil Nadu 2021 polls, AIADMK coordinator and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, on Saturday, announced that the AIADMK will continue its alliance with BJP. He stated this in the presence of Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami and Home Minister Amit Shah at Chennai's Kalaivanar Arangam. Upon arriving in Chennai, the Union Home Minister laid the foundation stone for phase-2 of the Chennai Metro Rail Project. Shah also paid his tribute to former Tamil Nadu chief ministers MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. In his first public address on his two-day tour of Tamil Nadu, Amit Shah detailed on the developments brought in by the BJP ever since being elected to power in the Central Government. 

READ | Before meeting Amit Shah, ex-DMK leader Ramalingam says 'will try to bring Alagiri to BJP'

Alagiri's aide joins BJP

Earlier on Saturday, in another boost to the saffron party in the soon to be poll-bound state, expelled DMK leader MK Alagiri loyalist and ex-MP KP Ramalingam joined BJP in the presence of state president L Murugan. Speaking to Republic Ramalingam said, " I will convince him (Alagiri) to come to BJP because I have come. I will speak to him, but he has to make a decision." This comes after Alagiri had just days earlier refuted speculation that he'd float a new party. 

READ | Tamil Nadu Dy CM OPS announces 'AIADMK alliance with BJP to continue' ahead of state polls

Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021

The two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS) - reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. With AIADMK announcing a coalition with BJP, the saffron party is reportedly in talks with MK Stalin's estranged brother - Alagiri and superstar Rajinikanth - who has often praised PM Modi. Meanwhile, ex-CM Karunanidhi's successor - DMK chief MK Stalin eyes his maiden CM term as DMK cannot afford to lose a third straight Assembly election after sweeping the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 38 seats. Polls will be held in April-May 2021.

READ | Tamil Nadu Congress sees another exit after Khushbu; Apsara Reddy rejoins AIADMK