AIADMK leader D. Jayakumar
| Photo Credit: MANINATHAN VM
Senior AIADMK leader D. Jayakumar on Monday, January 29, 2024, said there was still a lot of time for the Lok Sabha elections, and the party would make announcements on its alliances and the number of seats it would contest in, at the appropriate time. He reiterated that the AIADMK would not join with the BJP.
The AIADMK’s seat-sharing committee and the election campaign committee formed for the Parliamentary elections, held its first meeting at the party’s headquarters in Chennai on Monday.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Jayakumar claimed many parties were in talks with the AIADMK for an alliance, and an announcement with regard to this, would be made at an appropriate time. Taking a dig at the ruling party, he said there were a lot of contradictions in the DMK’s alliances, and it would be shattered like the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.
Mr. Jayakumar said the AIADMK would highlight the failures of the BJP government at the Centre as well the DMK government in the State, in its election campaign. The DMK, despite previously being in a ruling alliance at the Centre, did not take measures to bring education into the State list and to abolish the post of Governor, he said.
Mr. Jayakumar also said that BJP state president K. Annamalai was prioritising, and giving more importance to himself rather than his party. Mr Annamalai is making statements about things that never happened to divert attention, but this ploy would not work, he said. Mr. Jayakumar also said expelled AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam was “acting like a slave” to the BJP.
In view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had recently announced the constitution of four committees. The five-member committee formed to decide on seat-sharing with alliance partners includes senior leaders K.P. Munusamy, Dindigul C. Sreenivasan, P. Thangamani, S.P. Velumani and P. Benjamin.
The 10-member committee constituted to plan the AIADMK election campaign includes senior leaders M.Thambi Durai, K.A. Sengottaiyan, N. Thalavaisundaram, Sellur K. Raju, P. Dhanapal, K.P. Anbazhagan, R. Kamaraj, S. Gokula Indira, Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan and N.R. Sivapathi.
