Kamal Ghorui
The newly elected MLAs of AIADMK have been shifted to neighbouring Puducherry, the party said on Wednesday.AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan said the party legislators have been lodged in Puducherry, but did not specify how many MLAs had been moved or the reasons behind the decision, as cited by PTI. Sources said AIADMK, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, was prepared to extend unconditional support to Vijay-led TVK to help it form the government, with discussions reportedly underway between the two sides.However, after what sources described as prolonged silence from the TVK camp since Wednesday afternoon, the AIADMK decided to withdraw the offer. Party leaders also ruled out any possibility of an alliance with the DMK.
.
According to sources, communication between AIADMK and TVK began early Tuesday, with senior leaders exploring a possible post-poll arrangement after TVK fell short of securing a majority.“We offered unconditional support for a stable govt. For us, anything was negotiable, provided there was mutual respect. However, there has been no response from TVK since Wednesday noon,” said a senior leader, a close associate of Palaniswami.Talks between the two camps ended abruptly around Wednesday noon, shortly after the Congress offered conditional support to TVK, urging it to stay away from “communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution”.“Vijay is unresponsive. He slighted us. There has been no proper response to our voluntary support. So, we called off the talks. Now, we have to keep our flock together and show our political experience,” a senior AIADMK leader familiar with the developments said.Sources said the AIADMK leadership was dissatisfied with what it viewed as TVK’s handling of post-poll options, while remaining open to smaller parties that may not be able to provide stability during a political crisis.
.
The development comes as TVK seeks to secure a majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly. The Indian National Congress, which has five MLAs, has already extended support to the party.In the Assembly elections, TVK emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, followed by the DMK with 59 and the AIADMK with 47 seats.The Congress won five seats, while the PMK secured four. The IUML, CPI, CPM (M) and the VCK won two seats each.The BJP, DMDK and the AMMK secured one seat each.
