Chennai, Feb 4: Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) leader and former Union Minister G.K. Vasan has taken up the mantle for a patch up between the AIADMK and BJP, said sources here.
Sources in the BJP told IANS that Vasan, the son of illustrious Congress leader late G.K. Moopanar, is having an excellent personal rapport with the top leadership of AIADMK, including former Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and other AIADMK leaders like CVe Shanmugham and K.P. Muniswamy.
Sources told IANS that the central BJP leadership was desperately looking for a breakthrough in Tamil Nadu politics and needed a few seats for the party at any cost.
According to information available, BJP has in an internal survey held recently found out that it will not be able to win seats without proper alliance and AIADMK was the only bet for this.
As the local leadership of the BJP is not on good terms with the AIADMK leadership, the BJP central leadership has approached G.K. Vasan, who has been loyal to the NDA for long.
Vasan, according to sources, has already met the top brass of the AIADMK and is working on formulas for a patch up.
G.K. Vasan has also met the PMK founder leader, Dr S. Ramadoss and his son and party state president, Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss.
PMK,it may be recalled, is also now not with the NDA in Tamil Nadu and is a powerful force to reckon with as it is the political arm of the Vanniyar community which has a major and decisive say in several seats of western and central Tamil Nadu.
Vasan was in New Delhi recently and met BJP top brass, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, national president J.P. Nadda and national general secretary (Organisation ), B.L. Santhosh.
Meanwhile, Vasan will be making an announcement on the alliance for the 2024 general elections after the party general council meeting is held on February 12.
In a statement on Sunday, Vasan said that he was into consultations with all the alliance partners and a suitable decision would be taken in the general council meeting.
It may be noted that the TMC is with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu and will continue with it. However, being a political party with strong roots in certain pockets of Tamil Nadu, Vasan will have to make a public announcement on the alliance after confabulations with the party district leaders and also with other state leaders. Hence his statement that he would announce the alliance after the party general council meeting. (IANS)
