AIADMK, MDMK close to seat-sharing deal

CHENNAI: The seat-sharing talks between AIADMK and MDMK seem to have entered an intriguing phase, as the stage is set for a formal announcement. Three seats that MDMK is sure to get are Thanjavur, Tiruvallur and Virudhunagar while the fourth seat ��� Erode ��� is seen as a bone of contention.

According to informed sources, AIADMK is keen to offer Tirunelveli besides Central Chennai to take on DMK candidate and former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran but MDMK has preferred Erode.

Against its original demand of five seats, MDMK leader Vaiko is reported to have settled for four seats. Incidentally ,
MDMK is the last of the major parties with whom the AIADMK is yet to seal its seat-sharing pact.

Following the immediate allotment of seven seats to PMK by the AIADMK, MDMK has realised that it on a rather shaky wicket. On top of this, MDMK has seen the exit of its senior members ��� L Genesan, Gingee Ramachandran, Kannappan and Cumbum Ramakrishnan. AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa has used the detraction card to her advantage, pressing Vaiko to settle for three seats even as he was pressing for five seats to keep up the morale of his party cadres.

Last week, the two parties had failed to reach a poll pact with AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa keeping her cards close to her chest. However, Vaiko chose to remain non-committal on reports about breakdown of talks between the two parties.

On Wednesday, it appeared as if the MDMK would settle for four seats following reports of such a possibility. It took more than a fortnight for another alliance partner CPM to get three seats ��� Madurai, Kanyakumari and Coimbatore. Even as AIADMK had forged a relatively stronger alliance compared to DMK, Jayalalithaa is said to have made a tough bargain with her partners in allotting seats and selecting constituencies.