Tamil Nadu: OPS affirms 'AIADMK-BJP alliance to continue' even after losing assembly polls

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Co-ordinator and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvamon Wednesday said that his party has full faith over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Considering the interests of the Nation and Tamil Nadu, Panneerselvam in a release said that the AIADMK-BJP alliance will continue and there is no second opinion on it. 

This latest development comes after AIADMK Minister C Ve Shanmugan alleged that his party lost minority votes due to its alliance with BJP. 

AIADMK leader laments 'Lost minority votes due to alliance with BJP' 

Miffed at the loss in Tamil Nadu polls, former AIADMK Minister C Ve Shanmugam on Tuesday, alleged that had the Dravidian party had not allied with BJP, they may have not lost the minority votes. Citing the example of Villupuram, Shanmugam claimed that 20,000 minority voters were lost due to their alliance with the saffron party. AIADMK was denied a third consecutive term after DMK swept the Tamil Nadu polls winning 133 of 234 seats, while the AIADMK won 66 seats.

If we had not allied with BJP, rather because we were in alliance with BJP, we lost out the votes of the minorities. In Villupuram, there are 20,000 minority voters - 18,000 voters are in Villupuram town alone. We lost on minority votes because of our alliance with BJP. If the alliance was not there DMK would not be in power," said the former AIADMK Minister.

This comment came amidst a political churn in AIADMK with ex-party leader Sasikala vowing repeatedly to come back and 'revive Amma's golden rule' in multiple leaked conversations with party cadres. While ex-CM E Palanaiswami has maintained that there is no question of Sasikala being re-inducted in the party, AIADMK has sacked  9 members of the party for speaking with Sasikala. In March, a month after she was released from prison, Sasikala quit politics urging the AIADMK cadre to unite ahead of the polls and fight the DMK to 'continue Amma's AIADMK rule in Tamil Nadu for 100 years. Since the Tamil Nadu poll loss, she had been eyeing her return.

Before Sasikala's ouster, BJP and AIADMK had a minor tiff over seat-sharing ahead of the polls. While BJP had nudged AIADMK to bury the hatchet with Sasikala and her nephew, AIADMK refused, saying no one can pressurise his party to include AMMK in the AIADMK-led alliance. Moreover, AIADMK also alloted only  25 seats instead of its demand of 40 seats while  Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) contested 23 seats. Marking a first, BJP won 5 seats.

Tamil Nadu Election Results 2021

Witnessing a triumphant return of the DMK, the Stalin-led party bagged 133 seats while its allies bagged - Congress (18), VCK (4), CPI (2), CPM (2) seats. The incumbent AIADMK was reduced to 66 seats while its allies won - BJP (4) and PMK (5) seats. Stalin, who has been patiently waiting to win the top post, launched a massive campaign, persistent social media campaign and major freebies if elected to power. In the past, the DMK had been the ruling party five times, during 2006-11, 1996-2001, 1989-91, 1971-76, and 1967-71.

(Image: PTI)