CHENNAI: Union Minister and BJP’s Tamil Nadu election in-charge Piyush Goyal is likely to arrive in Chennai on January 21 to finalise seat-sharing arrangements ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting scheduled for January 23.
On Monday, senior leaders, including state president Nainar Nagenthran, H Raja, former state presidents Tamilisai Soundararajan and Pon Radhakrishnan, among others, held a meeting with Goyal in New Delhi. The leaders were in the national capital for the election of the BJP’s national president. During the meeting, they discussed the status of the AIADMK-BJP alliance and preparations for the PM Modi’s proposed visit to the state.
BJP leaders said the January 23 event would mark the first in a series of campaign programmes by the PM ahead of the Assembly elections. Leaders of all NDA constituent parties are expected to share the stage with the PM, in an effort to project alliance unity.
At present, the AIADMK-BJP alliance includes the PMK faction, led by Anbumani Ramadoss, and the Tamil Maanila Congress, among others. According to BJP sources, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), headed by Premalatha Vijayakant, has been asked to communicate within the next two days whether it would join the NDA.
Meanwhile, ANS Prasad, a member of the BJP’s election manifesto committee, has said the party’s manifesto for the Tamil Nadu elections will focus on rapid and sustainable development in key sectors such as education, healthcare, industry, information technology, youth empowerment and sports, while ensuring security, prosperity and dignity for every family.