Giving yet another blow to Congress' hopes of stitching up a strong alliance in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha elections, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has decided to cross over to Jayalalita's AIADMK camp. A last-ditch effort by senior Congress leaders in Delhi to retain PMK failed on Tuesday (24th March) with the PMK conveying its inability to campaign along with the DMK.

 

However, sources said that, a formal announcement on the PMK's decision is expected only on Thursday (26th March), when its general council meets in Chennai. Sources also said the PMK had accepted the AIADMK's offer of seven Lok Sabha seats and support for a Rajya Sabha nomination for Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss in the next biennial polls.

 

The party's ties with the DMK had reached a point of no return as bitterness between their cadres and mutual distrust at the leadership level was high. However, Congress has not given up trying to keep the PMK in its fold with sources saying that, it was going to hold one more round of talks with the party's leadership. In the last general elections the DMK led alliance, which included Congress, PMK and MDMK had swept the polls in Tamil Nadu by winning all the 39 seats.