With just two months to go for the presidential elections, the BJP is keen on getting the support of both AIADMK factions. On Sunday, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisami at the secretariat in Chennai. The meeting comes a few days after BJP state vice president Vanathi Srinivasan met the chief minister in Coimbatore.
Though the meetings were described as official, sources in the ruling AIADMK camp said the BJP was making sure it had the chief minister’s support for the presidential election. The saffron party is first wooing the ruling faction as it commands the support of 122 MLAs and of 50 out of 59 MPs.
The vote of each elected representative of the state legislature is valued at 176, while the vote of a Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha members is 708.
After the meeting with Vanathi Srinivasan, Palanisami asked his party leaders not to criticise the BJP, while BJP national secretary H Raja said there was nothing wrong in the BJP’s attempts to get the support of the AIADMK.
BJP leaders have also begun meeting members of the rebel AIADMK camp, led by O Panneerselvam, which has the support of 12 MLAs and nine MPs.
Published 14 May 2017, 19:44 IST