New Delhi: The Congress will stick to its current ally Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and is no longer interested in an alliance with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief J Jayalalitha, sources have told CNN-IBN.
Relations between Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Jayalalithaa have been strained in the recent times. Sources say Sonia has virtually slammed the door on Jayalalithaa preferring to stay with the DMK, although the Congress-DMK alliance is not expected to sweep the state.
Jayalalithaa, too, has been highly critical of the Congress in her election rallies.
With Congress not keen on allying with AIADMK, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has moved in to get Jayalalithaa on its side.
Senior BJP leader and prime ministerial candidate L K Advani along with other leaders including Venkaiah Naidu and Narendra Modi are trying to convince Jayalalithaa to join BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
For the BJP having AIADMK on its side is a win-win situation. Even if the party wins only half of the 39 seats in the state, it'll be a welcome addition to the NDA kitty.
But for the congress, AIADMK would be of use only if the party wins more than 30 seats.
Meanwhile, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Congress is sticking with DMK in Tamil Nadu and that the alliance will sweep the elections in the state.
"In Tamil Nadu, DMK is our ally. I am hopeful that the Congress and the DMK will sweep the elections as we did in 2004. Having done so I don't think AIADMK will have any seats left to have an alliance with. So, we will go with our ally, that is the DMK," said Azad.
When asked that some partners had walked out of the United Progressive Alliance and its repercussions, Azad said, "None of them have left us. If Lalu (Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and Railways Minister Lalu Prasad) would have left us, he would not have been a minister. That means he is still in the UPA. Paswan (Lok Janshakti Party supremo and Union Minister for Steel and Chemicals Ram Vilas Paswan), had he left us, he wouldn't have been a minister. He continues to be a minister. That means he continues to be with the UPA."
Why Tamil Nadu is important
Tamil Nadu has been the game changer for the past four elections. In 1996 DMK along with Tamil Maanila Congress chief GK Moopanar, Left and other smaller parties sweapt the state wining all the 39 seats. The alliance was apart of the United Front government.
In 1998 AIADMK, BJP, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) won 30 seats in the state. AIADMK was part of the the 13-month long Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
After the AIADMK withdrew its support to the Vajpayee government, the BJP fought the elections in 1999 in partnership with DMK also other smaller parties. The alliance won 26 seats and the NDA was able to form the government.
But when the 2004 elections came around the Congress allied with DMK, Left, MDMK, PMK and other smaller parties and won all the 39 seats in the state.
So Tamil Nadu is important for both the Congress and BJP. The state along with Puducherry accounts for 40 seats.
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