BJP forms new front in Tamil Nadu

Sat, Apr 18 09:02 PM

Chennai, April 18 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday formed a front in Tamil Nadu with the Janata Party, Nadalum Makkal Katchi (NMK) and All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) headed by film stars Karthick and Sarath Kumar for Lok Sabha polls.

Disclosing this at a press conference here, senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said 'the Janata Party, headed by Subramanian Swamy, would not contest any seats, but extend full support and work for the front in Tamil Nadu.'

As per the seat-sharing agreement, AISMK will contest in Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Namakkal and Tirupur, NMK would fight the Virudhunagar and Theni seats, and BJP will contest in 13 constituencies.

Denying reports of BJP approaching the AIADMK-led front for a post-poll alliance, Naidu said: 'We are not approaching anybody right now' and expressed the hope that 'the BJP-led front would put up a good show in the elections'.

On the Sri Lankan ethnic issue, Naidu said the central government does not have any action plan to solve the problems of Tamils in the island nation.

The party had mixed results in the past decade as it tied up with the DMK and AIADMK. Aligning with the AIADMK in 1998, BJP had won three of the five seats it contested and then won four out of six that they contested with the support of the DMK front.

Hoping to replicate its earlier success, the BJP again aligned with the AIADMK in 2004 but drew bank losing all six seats that they contested.

The party dropped its plan of joining the AIADMK this time since J. Jayalalithaa joined hands with the Left parties.

Tamil Nadu goes to polls for all its 39 Lok Sabha seats May 13.