Chidambaram noted that the AIADMK had been part of the BJP-led NDA till September 2023 and that post-elections, the revival of their earlier bonhomie was a certainty…reports Asian Lite News
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Sunday claimed that the AIADMK will again align with the BJP after the Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing Congress workers at Aranthangi in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukottai district while campaigning, he noted that the AIADMK had been part of the BJP-led NDA till September 2023 and that post-elections, the revival of their earlier bonhomie was a certainty.
The AIADMK and the BJP had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly elections together. However, it snapped ties with the BJP in September last year and is fighting the Lok Sabha elections along with parties like the DMDK, the SDPI, and the PT.
Chidambaram, while addressing media persons at Pudukottai later, accused the BJP of trying to destroy other political parties and cited the Income Tax Department’s notice to the Congress imposing a penalty as a clear example. He also alleged the BJP had itself collected a large amount through electoral bonds.
He also said that the people of the country would soon realise that the BJP idea of “One Nation, One Election” was nothing other than “One Country, One Party”.
Karti to contest from Sivaganga
Karti Chidambaram, son of P Chidambaram, filed his nomination from the Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat here on Monday.
Karti had won from the Sivaganga constituency in 2019 and has been entrusted with the responsibility again for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls on April 19.
“I’m thankful for the Congress party, for reposing faith in me again and allowing me to contest for the third time. I am very grateful to my party leadership… The entire alliance has come together. The three ministers from the DMK, DMK MLA, and Congress MLA were with me,” Karti told ANI after filing nomination,said
“The INDIA alliance will overwhelmingly win the Sivaganga seat as it will win every seat in Tamil Nadu. We have workers’ meeting from tomorrow onwards for the next six days and from the 1st March we will start a proper campaign where we’ll reach out to the public,” he added.
Congress released a list of candidates for seven seats out of nine in Tamil Nadu on Saturday.
Last week, a press release issued by the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) announced the party’s plan to contest in nine constituencies spanning Tamil Nadu, including Thiruvallur (the reserved constituency), Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Sivaganga, Tirunelveli, Krishnagiri, Karur, Virudhunagar, and Kanniyakumari.
Earlier, a three-time Congress MLA from Tamil Nadu, S Vijayadharani, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party’s headquarters in the national capital, giving a major blow to Congress.
Meanwhile, former Telangana and Puducherry Governor and BJP candidate from South Chennai Tamilisai Soundararajan filed her candidature for the Lok Sabha elections and said that she resigned from the governor’s post because she wanted to “work directly for the people of the state.”
“The people want PM Modi to be Prime Minister again. South Chennai is a constituency with very responsible people and they’re longing for a good parliamentarian. The present MP is not very approachable. I will be very approachable. When I was in a constitutional post, I also used to interact with people. I resigned from the governor’s post because I want to work directly for the people,” Soundararajan told ANI on Monday.
DMK candidate Tamilachi Thangapandiyan and AIADMK candidate J Jayavardhan also filed nominations for South Chennai.
Voting for all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in the first phase of the general elections on April 19.
In the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, and AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats in the state. In 2019, DMK won 23 Lok Sabha seats with a 33.2 per cent vote share, Congress bagged 8 seats with a 12.9 per cent vote and CPI won two seats in Tamil Nadu.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4. (IANS/ANI)
BJP’s SC Morcha chief in joins AIADMK
After he was denied the Chidambaram Lok Sabha seat for the forthcoming general elections, Tamil Nadu BJP‘s SC Morcha President, ‘Tada’ D Periyasamy, resigned from the party and joined the AIADMK on Saturday.
D Periyasamy joined the AIADMK in the presence of party General Secretary and former Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS).
It may be recalled that D Periyasamy had contested unsuccessfully on a BJP ticket from the Chidambaram constituency in the Lok Sabha elections in 2004, and from the Tittagudi Assembly constituency in the state elections of 2021.
He had joined the BJP after resigning from the Dalit political party Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).
He had earlier contested on a VCK ticket in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Perambalur and in the 2001 Assembly polls from Harur. However he lost in both the elections.
It may be noted that the BJP is now contesting the Lok Sabha elections devoid of the AIADMK.
AIADMK General Secretary EPS had publicly stated that in the ensuing general elections, the fight was between the AIADMK and the DMK.
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