Union minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal is set to visit Tamil Nadu shortly to meet AIADMK leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam to discuss a possible poll alliance, BJP functionaries said.
Piyush Goyal
Chennai:
They added that the national party is also looking at the PMK and the DMDK for a possible alliance for the coming Lok Sabha polls.
“The BJP alliance will take shape ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the State for the foundation stone ceremony of AIIMS at Madurai,” a functionary said. Interestingly, the ruling party in TN has not ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the BJP.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan told reporters that the party is gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls. “The appointment of Piyush Goyal as TN BJP poll manager is a boost for the state BJP. Goyal has helped several BJP state units win elections,” Soundararajan said.
“The state office bearers met Goyal and he assured assistance to the Tamil Nadu BJP unit during the Lok Sabha polls. Poll strategies and alliances were also discussed.
We will accept parties that accept the leadership of the Prime Minister for an alliance,” Soundararajan added. Earlier in the day, she celebrated Pongal with the BJP cadre at Kamalalayam and discussed strengthening BJP units at booth level.
BJP, once a sought-after party during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu seems to be striving hard to get allies and is now working overtime to ensure a pre-poll alliance in Tamil Nadu, the largest state in south India with 39 Lok Sabha seats.