Edappadi K Palaniswami: Poll pact is to win maximum seats

SALEM: Justifying the AIADMK’s alliance with the PMK for the ensuing Lok Sabha and 21 Assembly by-elections in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister, Mr. Edappadi K Palaniswami said the goal was to win the maximum number of seats.

“Poll alliances with parties keep changing; electoral understanding is one thing, party principles are another. During every election, each party wants to win the maximum seats and are keen to take to the people their development schemes and it is on that basis electoral alliances are forged,” Mr. Palaniswami said in explaining why the AIADMK inked a poll pact with PMK and BJP to start with.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, while taking several questions on the alliance issue, the AIADMK leader said, “as the popularity of Amma’s government has gone up with implementation of various welfare measures, AIADMK candidates and our alliance party candidates will win in larger numbers in both Lok Sabha and Assembly by-polls.”  Stating that the ‘mega-alliance’ formed by the AIADMK was still in the making, he said they were hopeful more parties will join their alliance, including the actor Vijayakanth-led DMDK.

The State minister D Jayakumar’s views on DMDK was “his personal opinion”, but “we want more parties to join our alliance,” he said. “Such an alliance will sweep all the 40 LS seats including Puducherry seat,” Palaniswami said, adding, “our expectation is that the next Lok Sabha should comprise a strong alliance of parties which have the maximum numbers.”

It was on that basis former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had also approached the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and ensured that AIADMK emerged the third single largest party in the Lok Sabha to ensure Tamil Nadu's interests and she handsomely won 37 seats, pointed out Mr. Palaniswami.

To a question, he said the number of seats the AIADMK will contest will be known only after seat-sharing with all its allies were finalized.

"AIADMK's name has reached all over India," he quipped when asked whether BJP was leading the alliance in Tamil Nadu or the AIADMK.

Mr. Palaniswami also rejected criticisms of the AIADMK alliance by dissident leader T T V Dhinakaran and DMK president M K Stalin as misplaced. "Our mega alliance will sweep the polls," the Chief Minister claimed. Earlier, he said a total sum of Rs.41,000 crore has been disbursed to self-help groups in Tamil Nadu under the AIADMK regime, including Rs.500 crore to 18,000 SHG in Salem district alone.