The party leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami were instructed by the AIADMK functionaries and district secretaries not to go with many seats to alliance partners. The leaders who had discussion over the poll alliance strategies ahead of the BJP leader Amit Shah’s recent visit have made a decision to fix the minimal number of seats to the alliance parties. 

The district secretaries, who is lone responsible for the  elections, have urged the party high command to follow the DMK strategy, alliance parties should be given minimal seats. A suggestion of no voluntary approach to small parties like the DMDK was also given. “BJP and Congress are minor parties we want to treat the BJP like how the DMK treats its ally Congress. We have told the party high command that giving about 40 to 50 Assembly seats to BJP means conceding to DMK, which plans to contest in about 180 seats,” the senior said. The BJP is ambitious at the cost of AIADMK, 40 to 50 seats means an expenditure of 400 crores for the ruling party and these seats will be easier for the DMK to perform, the AIADMK leader said. 

“During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK gave five parliamentary seats and politically this translates into around 30 Assembly seats. Today, the BJP led by president L Murugan has gained in Tamil Nadu. More cadres and influence makers have joined the saffron unit and we will certainly ask for about 60 Assembly seats,” opined GK Nagaraj, BJP state farmers wing president. The AIADMK – BJP alliance will certainly create an electoral impact against the DMK. The BJP is in a strong position than the Congress, so AIADMK should be generous with its ally, Nagaraj said. 

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