The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is planning a Tamil Nadu model alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala and it may field candidates in border constituencies in Idukki and Palakkad districts as part of it.
Accordingly, the AIADMK may contest in Devikulam constituency where majority of the voters are of Tamil origin. There is also a considerable Tamil population in the Peerumade and Udumbanchola constituencies in Idukki.
AIADMK State president Shobakumar said there was an alliance with the BJP in Kerala. The AIADMK will field candidates in Idukki, Palakkad and other districts. A final decision would emerge after March 5, he said.
In the 2016 Assembly election, AIADMK candidate R.M. Dhanalakshmi reached third position in the Devikulam constituency and got 11,613 votes. BJP candidate N. Chandran got 9,592 votes. CPI(M) leader S. Rajendran won the election with a margin of 49,510 votes, while UDF candidate A.K. Mani got 43,728 votes.
BJP Idukki district president K.S. Aji said that if the AIADMK demanded the Devikulam seat, it would be considered. However, a decision on the candidates was not yet finalised. The BJP-AIADMK alliance would positively help in the Devikulam constituency, he said.
