AIADMK And BJP Team Up Again For Tamil Nadu Polls Under EPS’ Leadership

Chennai/New Delhi:

Tamil Nadu’s opposition party AIADMK and the BJP will contest the state elections together under the leadership of former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), Union Home Minister Amit Shah said today at a joint press conference in Chennai.

The two parties were in an alliance earlier too. The assembly election for which both have joined hands is scheduled next year.

“We will make a common minimum programme if needed,” Mr Shah, flanked by EPS and state BJP chief K Annamalai, told reporters.

Mr Shah reminded of a huge win in the Lok Sabha in 1998 when the BJP and AIADMK formed an alliance helmed by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The BJP-AIADMK alliance at one point won 30 of 39 Lok Sabha seats, he said.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will comfortably win in Tamil Nadu, Mr Shah said.

On how the alliance would work out, the Home Minister said the BJP will not interfere in AIADMK’s internal matters.