Chennai, Mar 6 (UNI) The ruling AIADMK inked the seat sharing agreement with its ally, the BJP, for the April six Assembly elections allotting 20 seats and the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha seat.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the two parties

late on Friday night.

In a joint statement, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami

and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, who were also the coordinator

and co-coordinators of the AIADMK, said the BJP was allotted

20 Assembly seats and the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha seat, where

bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting Congress

MP H Vasanthakumar due to coronavirus.

They also said the AIADMK would support the BJP in Kanniyakumari.

With this, the AIADMK, which is looking for a hat trick of wins,

having won in 2011 and 2016, has finalised seat sharing pact with

two of its allies.

Earlier, it allotted 23 seats to the PMK, while hectic parleys

were on with other allies, the DMDK, Tamil Maanila Congress led

by former Shipping Minister G K Vasan and other minor parties

like the IJK and Puthiya Tamizhagam.

The DMDK, which had faced the last Assembly elections as part

of the People's Welfare Front and drew a blank, had been making

a hard bargaining of at least 25 seats, besides a Rajya Sabha

seat.

Sources said, the AIADMK has accepted its offer to allot a Rajya

Sabha seat, but was not inclined to the demand of 25 Assembly

seats.

DMDK Vice-President Parthasarathy said 'we have asked for 25 seats

and will not settle for anything less than that, though AIADMK has

agreed for the RS seat. It's for the AIADMK to take a call on the

continuance of the alliance'.

UNI GV 1054