Chennai, March 16 (IANS) The EK Palaniswami-led AIADMK has initiated the process of finalising its electoral alliance strategy for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections by appointing a special committee to conduct seat-sharing negotiations with its partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The Election Commission of India (ECI ) has already announced April 23 as the date for Tamil Nadu elections.

The party’s leadership has constituted a four-member committee comprising senior leaders and former Ministers K.P. Munusamy, Natham R. Viswanathan, S.P. Velumani and B. Valarmathi.

The panel has been authorised to represent the AIADMK in discussions with allied parties and work towards finalising the distribution of Assembly constituencies among the partners in the alliance.

According to party sources, the committee will begin formal consultations with key NDA allies in the State, including the BJP, Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Puratchi Bharatham.

The negotiations will focus on both the number of seats each party will contest and the constituencies to be allocated to them. The formation of the committee comes soon after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, prompting political parties to accelerate their preparations.

AIADMK leaders indicated that discussions with alliance partners will be held in phases before the final seat-sharing formula is announced.

However, uncertainty continues to surround the possible participation of the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam (AMMK) led by T.T.V. Dhinakaran in the seat-sharing negotiations.

Dhinakaran had earlier indicated that the constituencies his party would contest would be determined by the BJP, rather than through direct discussions with the AIADMK.

His statement has raised questions about whether AIADMK leaders will hold direct negotiations with the AMMK leadership during the current round of alliance talks.

The NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu is widely expected to intensify discussions in the coming days as parties seek to finalise a mutually acceptable arrangement.

Political observers say the negotiations could involve multiple rounds of talks as parties press their claims for favourable constituencies and a larger share of seats.

With the nomination process scheduled to begin later this month, the AIADMK leadership is keen to complete the seat-sharing exercise quickly.

Once the alliance formula is finalised, the focus is expected to shift to announcing candidates and launching a full-scale campaign for the Assembly elections.

—IANS

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