G.K. Vasan President Tamil Maanila Congress to join BJP-led NDA alliance

G.K. Vasan President Tamil Maanila Congress to join BJP-led NDA alliance

Ahead of the Lok Sabha Polls 2024, and in a fresh development, the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), led by former Union Minister G.K. Vasan, on Monday, February 26, 2024, made an announcement of joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Interacting with the media team, Vasan, articulated that the alliance would take full shape in the coming days, and, based on the number of partners in it, seat allocation would be finalised.

After the announcement, BJP State president K. Annamalai met Vasan and speaking to media personnel stated the narrative that the BJP was against minorities would be broken in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He added that Vasan, had taken the decision to join the NDA alliance following lot of consultations and has taken the first step to bring about a transformation in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.

Notedly, the TMC (Moopanar), re-launched in November 2014 after merging with the Congress in August 2002 was part of the AIADMK-BJP alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when it was given one Lok Sabha seat to contest in.

N.R. Natarajan of TMC had contested in the Thanjavur constituency and lost to the DMK candidate S.S. Palanimanickam. Subsequently, the AIADMK had nominated Vasan to the Rajya Sabha.

The AIADMK however, snapped ties with the BJP in September 2023, and has ruled out the possibility of forming any alliance with the saffron party.

Reportedly, Vasan had recently held a slew of meetings with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami and discussed the possibilities of an alliance. Arvind Menon, a BJP leader in-charge of Tamil Nadu, on Sunday, 25 February, had met Vasan.

News Edit K.V.Raman