AIADMK Plans to Allocate 100 Seats to Allies for Tamil Nadu Elections

The AIADMK has announced its intention to allocate a total of **100 Assembly seats** to its alliance partners for the upcoming **Tamil Nadu Assembly elections**. The party plans to contest the remaining **134 seats** independently. Political sources indicate that the **Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)** is expected to be allotted **65 seats**, while the **Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)** may receive approximately **30 seats**. The remaining allocations will be distributed among smaller parties, totaling around **five seats**.

The seat-sharing strategy is heavily influenced by the vote share trends from the recent **2024 Lok Sabha elections**. In that election, the **DMK-led INDIA bloc** garnered **46.97 percent** of the votes across Tamil Nadu’s **39 parliamentary constituencies**. The AIADMK-led alliance, which included parties such as the **Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI)**, secured **23.05 percent** of the votes. In contrast, the **National Democratic Alliance (NDA)**, comprising the BJP, PMK, AIADMK, **Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC)**, and the faction led by former Chief Minister **O. Panneerselvam**, achieved a vote share of **18.28 percent**.

Despite the NDA’s failure to win any Lok Sabha seats, their performance at the constituency level suggests significant electoral potential. The AIADMK placed second in **28 constituencies**, while the BJP finished in second place in **11 constituencies**. Mapping these parliamentary results onto the corresponding **234 Assembly constituencies** indicates that the NDA and its allies led in approximately **80 Assembly segments**, compared to the AIADMK-led alliance.

The leadership of the Tamil Nadu BJP has reportedly urged **Union Home Minister Amit Shah** to allow the party to contest at least **75 of these 80 favorable Assembly seats**. Nonetheless, AIADMK General Secretary **Edappadi K. Palaniswami** has suggested capping the BJP’s share at **65 seats**. Internal assessments within the AIADMK indicate that the BJP’s claim for **65 Assembly seats** is substantiated by the NDA’s previous **18.28 percent** vote share in the Lok Sabha elections.

If the PMK officially joins the alliance, it stands to receive up to **30 seats**, with the last five seats allocated to smaller allies. Nevertheless, sources emphasize that final allocations could shift due to potential last-minute political realignments. Should additional parties join the coalition, the seat distribution for the BJP and PMK could be reduced, with one scenario suggesting that the BJP might only receive **18 seats**.

Formal negotiations among the alliance partners will continue in the coming weeks. The final seat-sharing arrangement is expected to be revealed closer to the election schedule, which is anticipated for **March 2024**. As the political landscape evolves, stakeholders are keenly observing these developments, which could significantly impact the electoral dynamics in Tamil Nadu.