Chennai, April 29 (BPNS)
AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) will be holding a meeting of party mid-level leaders to convince them of the decision to continue the alliance with the BJP. The party leader, according to sources in AIADMK, is also willing to speak to the cadres regarding the decision on a continued alliance with the BJP which he has announced in New Delhi after meeting BJP leaders including Union Home Minister, Amit Shah.
It is to be recalled that the AIADMK and BJP relationship had hit an all time low after BJP Tamil Nadu state president, K. Annamalai’s regular outbursts against the AIADMK and even openly stating that he preferred to go it alone in the loksabha polls of 2024.
The BJP national leadership however clearly know that without any Dravidian major by its side, the party will turn a non entity in Tamil nadu and that for the present, it was better to piggy ride on either of the Dravidian majors, DMK or AIADMK.
While the BJP national leadership was keen for a continuing alliance with the AIADMK, the AIADMK cadres and middle level leaders were not enthused in continuing the alliance with the saffron party. As per the feedback of the AIADMK, from the grass roots, snapping ties with the saffron party would do the party lot of good.
The lower level functionaries of the party are of the opinion that if the AIADMK snaps ties with the BJP, Dalit outfits, Muslim outfits and parties like MDMK, DMDK and even NTK of Seeman would join hands with it.
The AIADMK, according to an inhouse survey it has conducted has assessed that the party would win anywhere between 6 to 7 seats if it goes it snaps ties with the BJP. The survey, according to AIADMK insiders would fetch even 10 to 12 seats for the party as several Muslim outfits that have turned their backs to the AIADMK due to its alliance with the BJP would come back to its fold.
However sources in the AIADMK told IANS that Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) took a decision to continue the alliance with the BJP citing far reaching political benefits. With the BJP firmly in saddle at the centre and possibility of the NDA coming back to power in centre in 2024 polls, AIADMK does not want to be on the losing side and even if it loses some seats in the bargain, becoming part of a winning alliance at the national level is required for EPS to be firmly in saddle in the AIADMK.
With the preparatory works for the 2024 Loksabha polls already on, the AIADMK is busy preparing its cadres for the elections and wants to enthuse its cadres as to why it was continuing the alliance with the BJP.
It is learned that EPS would directly convene a meeting of lower and middle-level functionaries of the party in the days to come.
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