Parties align for polls [December 06 2008]

The two mainline communist parties, the CPI and CPI (M) are aligning with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha elections slated for early next year. This is bad news for Chief Minister Karunanidhi since the PMK, the party of Vanniyars has also distanced from the DMK. The AIADMK- CPI (M) tie-up on Friday following an hour-long meeting between Jayalalithaa Jayaram, AIADMK General Secretary and Prakash Karat, CPI (M) General Secretary at the fortress like residence of cinema actor turned politician at Poes Gardens in Chennai.

Emerging from the meeting, Jayalalithaa said: 'I am happy with the meeting. AIADMK and CPI (M) will enter into an electoral alliance' for Lok Sabha elections. Karat said finer details of the alliance would be worked out in `due course'. About his tete-a-tete with Jayalalithaa, he said: `It is a good discussion'. And she termed the meeting as `cordial'. CPI will follow the Marxist big brother footsteps. CPI leader A Bardhan met Jayalalithaa a fortnight back and held a preliminary round on alliance politics. His state secretary D Pandian followed up these talks by meeting Jaya aides this week. CPI (M) and CPI work in tandem. In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the two parties have entered into an alliance with the Telugu Desam of former chief minister Chandra Babu Naidu. (AT)