Villupuram (Tamil Nadu), 19 March

BJP on Tuesday clinched a seat-sharing deal with the Dr S Ramadoss-headed Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Tamil Nadu for the 19 April Lok Sabha polls, allotting 10 seats to the regional party.

BJP State president K Annamalai and PMK founder Ramadoss signed the pact at the Thailapuram residence of the latter here. The PMK is a Vanniyar community-dominated party and has significant influence in some of the northern districts of the state.

As per the understanding, "PMK will fight from 10 seats in Tamil Nadu in the NDA," Annamalai later told reporters in a joint press briefing with PMK President and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. Both leaders insisted that the PMK has been in the NDA for the past 10 years, fighting the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls as a constituent of the BJP-led bloc.

Annamalai heaped praises on Ramadoss, saying he wanted to implement "revolutionary" ideas for the benefit of the society which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was doing presently.

Union Minister L Murugan was present during the meeting between the top leaders of the two parties.