The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) allocated 10 seats for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections to the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Tamil Nadu on March 19, 2024. The agreement was finalized during a meeting held at the residence of PMK founder S. Ramadoss in Thailapuram, Villupuram district, with Ramadoss and BJP State president K. Annamalai signing the accord.
Prior to the signing ceremony, leaders from both parties engaged in discussions in the early morning session, with PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss and former State president of BJP and Union Minister of State, L. Murugan, present as witnesses.
The PMK had previously expressed its intention to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and participate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. Insider sources within the PMK disclosed that this decision was reached during a meeting chaired by the party’s founder, S. Ramadoss, and its president, Anbumani Ramadoss. However, it’s important to note that a majority of party officials and members reportedly favored forming an alliance with the AIADMK. Dr. Anbumani is scheduled to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public gathering in Salem on March 19.
The PMK’s announcement, a party with significant influence among the Vanniyar community, coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Coimbatore, sending a clear message to the AIADMK that the PMK was not inclined to forge electoral alliances with the prominent Dravidian party. AIADMK’s general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who had previously withdrawn from the NDA, has been actively pursuing alliances with both the PMK and the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK).