Monday, March 21, 2011

AIADMK announces deal with DMDK, new list of candidates

CHNENNAI: Tamil Nadu's major opposition party AIADMK on Monday formally announced its agreement with the DMDK, led by actor-turned-politician Vijayakant, allotting it 41 seats for the coming assembly elections.

The AIADMK also announced it own revised list of candidates for 160 constituencies.

Party general secretary and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa will contest from the temple town Srirangam, around 330 km from Chennai, which is considered to be a safe seat for her and falls under the Tiruchirapalli Lok Sabha constituency held by the AIADMK.

In 2006 Jayalalithaa had won from Andipatti.

The AIADMK candidates will file their nominations March 24 between 11am and 1pm as per party directive.

The AIADMK has finalised alliances for 74 of the 234 seats with 10 parties for the April 13 elections.

Besides DMDK, the other parties in the alliance are the CPM (12 seats), CPI (10), MNMK (3), PT (2), SMK (2), RPI (1), FB (1), KYF (1) and AIMMK (1).

The agreement with the DMDK ended a three-day crisis Sunday that had threatened to break the AIADMK-led alliance over concerns about the hugely popular Vijayakant leaving it after Jayalalithaa's unilateral announcement of constituencies for AIADMK candidates.

Jayalalithaa will now start her campaign tour March 24 to Tiruchirapalli, around 335 km from here.

She will return here March 30 and start out for Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and Tirunelvelli the next day.

After canvassing in various districts, the leader will return to Chennai April 9 and campaign here till April 11.

toi

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