AIADMK, Congress Both Eye Vijayakanth's Party To Join Their Bandwagon

Both the ruling AIADMK and Congress, which is part of the DMK front, on Thursday hoped that the DMDK, led by actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth, would join them.

Senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar, slamming the DMK front, told reporters in Chennai that talks with the DMDK was on and hoped that the Vijayakanth steered outfit would join his party-led "auspicious" alliance.

The AIADMK has already held talks with the DMDK leadership, which has however been inconclusive.

The DMDK, which contested 14 seats in the BJP-led front in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, had reportedly been demanding seats in 'double digits' from the AIADMK.

After the ruling party firmly said it would not be possible, the DMDK is now demanding that it be treated on par with the PMK, which has been allocated seven constituencies plus a Rajya Sabha seat by the AIADMK.

Against this background, senior State Congress leader Su Thirunavukkarasar on Thursday visited Vijayakanth at his home.

The DMDK leader had recently returned from the USA following medical treatment.

"This is election season and will it not be a lie if I say that I did not discuss the political scenario (with Vijayakanth)?" Mr Thirunavukkarasar asked.

Speaking to reporters, the former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief said that he spoke with Vijayakanth on the political scenario in Tamil Nadu and the coming Lok Sabha elections.

"I have shared with him my opinion that it will be good if he takes a good decision, keeping in mind the situation in the country for the past about four and a half years," he said.

The Congress leader said both the DMDK chief and people knew the "situation" in the country under the BJP-led regime at the Centre.

"It will be good if he takes a decision considering the welfare of the nation," he said, apparently an indirect invite to the DMDK to join the DMK-led camp.

AIADMK organisation secretary JCD Prabhakar, who is part of a party panel set up to hold talks with potential allies, said he did not see much political significance in the Congress leader visiting Vijayakanth.

An AIADMK leader involved in talks told news agency PTI that the talks were being held with not one, but other potential allies as well and added that a final picture could emerge sooner than expected.

Vijayakanth-led party's five-member poll panel, led by party's deputy secretary LK Sudeesh, meanwhile, held consultations in Chennai on clinching poll deals.

The DMK had on February 20 finalised a seat sharing arrangement with Congress by allotting it nine Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and one in neighbouring Puducherry.

The AIADMK had on Tuesday allotted seven Lok Sabha seats to PMK and one Rajya Sabha seat to the PMK and five Lok Sabha segments to the BJP.