BJP-AIADMK meet to discuss seat-sharing for Tamil Nadu polls ahead of HM Amit Shah's visit

As race to Tamil Nadu Assembly elections heats up, NDA allies BJP and AIADMK met on Saturday to discuss seat-sharing ahead of Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to state on Sunday. BJP leaders, including MoS G Kishan Reddy and state president L Murugan met TN CM Edappadi Palaniswami and Dy CM O Panneerselvam at ir respective residences on Saturday to discuss seat-sharing for first phase of Assembly polls. NDA allies' meeting over seat-sharing comes after Election Commission revealed dates of Assembly elections scheduled to be held in April and May in five states - Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Puducherry, and Assam. 

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As per reports, BJP leaders along with CM EPS and Dy CM OPS are expected to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday to finalize seat-sharing talks. Home Minister Amit Shah is set to address a public meeting at Villupuram following which he will be meeting party's karyakartas before departing to Delhi. As per sources, AIADMK has offered BJP 20-23 seats while saffron party had initially demanded 40 seats. 

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Meanwhile, DMK formed a seven-member committee to discuss seat-sharing talks with Congress and or allies. Party General Secretary Duraimurugan said panel would be headed by Treasurer T.R. Baalu. K.N. Nehru, I. Periyasamy, K. Ponmudi, Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan, Organising Secretary R.S. Bharathi and E.V. Velu would be part of team, he added. Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala, Oomen Chandy, and Dinesh Gundu Rao met DMK representatives on Friday to negotiate seat-sharing talks and as per reports, Congress raised a demand for 54 seats as opposed to 41 that it contested from in previous election.

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Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021

two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS), reconciled after party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as chief of 11-member steering committee. With AIADMK anuncing it will continue its national alliance with BJP, saffron party is yet to officially anunce its state-level alliance. Meanwhile, ex-CM Karunanidhi's successor - DMK chief MK Stalin eyes his maiden CM term as DMK cant afford to lose a third straight Assembly election after sweeping state in 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 38 seats. Kamal Haasan's MNM has initiated alliance talks with Arvind Kejriwal's AAP while AIMIM's Owaisi has also expressed interest to fight polls in sourn state. Erstwhile AIADMK ally Samathuva Makkal Katchi, headed by actor R Sarathkumar, joined hands with joins hands with SRM Group Paarivendhar's Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi to fight upcoming polls.

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