CHENNAI: With just five months left for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, political parties across the state are gearing up, and the alliance negotiations, candidate selection, and district-level organisational restructuring are all underway. In this backdrop, the BJP -- a key partner in the AIADMK alliance -- has decided to demand a significantly higher number of seats this time.
In the 2021 Assembly election, the BJP contested as part of the AIADMK-led coalition. Back then, the AIADMK fielded candidates in 179 seats, while its allies, PMK, contested 23 seats, the BJP 20 seats, the TMC six seats, and six other smaller parties received one seat each.
The alliance won 75 seats in total: AIADMK secured 66, the PMK won five, and the BJP won four. Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, however, the BJP walked out of the AIADMK alliance and formed its own front, bringing the PMK under its fold.