The PMK is a Vanniyar community-dominated party and has significant influence in some of the northern districts of the state.
The BJP on Tuesday, 19 March, clinched a seat-sharing deal with the Dr S Ramadoss-headed Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Tamil Nadu for the 19 April Lok Sabha polls, allotting 10 seats to the regional party.
BJP state president K Annamalai and PMK founder Ramadoss signed the pact at the Thailapuram residence of the latter in Villupuram.
The PMK is a Vanniyar community-dominated party and has significant influence in some of the northern districts of the state.
As per the understanding, “PMK will fight from 10 seats in Tamil Nadu in the NDA,” Annamalai later told reporters in a joint press briefing with PMK President and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumani Ramadoss.
Both leaders insisted that the PMK has been in the NDA for the past 10 years, fighting the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls as a constituent of the BJP-led bloc.
Annamalai heaped praises on Ramadoss, saying he wanted to implement “revolutionary” ideas for the benefit of the society which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was doing presently.
மாண்புமிகு பாரதப் பிரதமர் திரு @narendramodi அவர்கள் கரங்களை வலுப்படுத்தவும், தேசத்தின் நலன் காக்கவும், தேசிய ஜனநாயகக் கூட்டணியில் இணைய, பாட்டாளி மக்கள் கட்சி முடிவெடுத்துள்ளது பெரும் மகிழ்ச்சி அளிக்கிறது. இன்று, நமது மாண்புமிகு மத்திய இணை அமைச்சர் திரு @Murugan_MoS அவர்களுடன்,… pic.twitter.com/OD5po6AiQ9
— K.Annamalai (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@annamalai_k) March 19, 2024
Union Minister L Murugan was present during the meeting between the top leaders of the two parties.
Ramadoss could join the PM at a rally slated later in nearby Salem district on Tuesday.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)