NDA Seals Tamil Nadu Seat Deal, Eyes 200+ Seats as DMK Finalizes Alliances

The AIADMK, which leads the alliance, will contest 169 of the 234 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 27 seats, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) 18, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) 11, Tamil Maanila Congress five, Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) one, and Puratchi Bharatham one seat.

NDA leaders welcomed the agreement. Tamilisai Soundararajan of the BJP said the discussions concluded smoothly and expressed confidence that the alliance would win comfortably, calling the arrangement amicable and efficient.

"We are very happy. We have been very fast in acting. Definitely, we will win all without any confusion, problem, everything has been very amicably solved and all are very happy about the allotment of the constituencies. We are going to win the elections," Soundarajan told ANI.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss described the alliance as a "give-and-take" partnership and said it would function as a united "victory alliance," claiming strong coordination from leadership to grassroots level. He also criticised the ruling DMK, led by MK Stalin, alleging poor governance while claiming that the NDA would secure more than 200 seats.

"We are happy about the numbers as well as the constituencies. Since this is a mega alliance, it has to be a give-and-take...It's a victory alliance. We are working as one unit. Unlike the DMK, they are fragmented. They have lots of differences among them...We are on a better footing. We are going to take it forward. On our alliance, from the leadership to the grassroots level, there is a coordination amongst the alliance cadres...This election will definitely show the DMK the door because there is no women's safety. Every day, women and children are being abused...Social justice is completely lost...It's a complete misrule of the DMK. People are waiting to elect our alliance and I'm very confident that we will win more than 200 seats," said Ramadoss.

AIADMK leader IS Inbadurai said the alliance had been formed successfully and reiterated confidence that the AIADMK-led coalition would emerge victorious, while accusing the DMK of spreading false narratives.

"AIADMK has formed an alliance successfully. This morning, we released the candidates' list. AIADMK will be the winner in the Tamil Nadu elections...DMK are spreading false news against AIADMK. MK Stalin will face the consequences," said Inbadurai.

Separately, AIADMK MP CV Shanmugam also asserted that the alliance would form the government with a decisive majority. "AIADMK alliance will form the government with a thumping majority," he told ANI.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has announced that its "Rising Sun" symbol will contest in 175 constituencies in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

So far, the DMK alliance has allotted seats to nine parties, including Congress (28), MDMK (4), IUML (2), MMK (2), KMDK (2), CPI (5), CPM (5), VCK (8), and DMDK (10). A total of 66 seats have been allocated to allies, with 7 of them being contested under the DMK symbol.

With remaining allocations expected, the DMK will directly contest 168 seats, while allied candidates in 7 seats will also contest under the Rising Sun symbol, making a total of 175 seats under the DMK symbol.

Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4.

The main electoral contest is expected between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which also includes Congress, DMDK, and the VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by AIADMK with the BJP and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) as allies. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is set to make his electoral debut with TVK, attempting to turn the upcoming elections into a three-way contest.

- ANI