AIADMK co-coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam led the seat-sharing negotiations for Lok Sabha elections with BJP leader and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday night, sources told The Hindu on Friday.
The talks that began around 10:30 p.m. ended by 12:45 a.m. on Friday.
Earlier, it was reported that only Electricity Minister Thangamani and Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani negotiated with the BJP delegation.
Mr. Goyal, BJP election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, had flown down from New Delhi for holding the alliance talks.
Sources said even before Mr. Goyal arrived at the bungalow of late industrialist Pollachi Mahalingam on St. Mary’s Road in Alwarpet, Chennai, both Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. O. Panneerselvam had reached there.
The two Ministers, Thangamani and Velumani, arrived subsequently to give the impression that only they were holding talks on behalf of the AIADMK.
In fact, after the talks, only Mr. Goyal and his team and the two Ministers left the venue.
The Chief Minister and his deputy left the venue after all assembled journalists had moved out.