The AIADMK has released a fresh list of candidates after successfully pacifying its upset allies. A close scrutiny of the of choice of seats by the AIADMK leadership shows the party still banks on western Tamil Nadu, especially Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Karur districts, besides Chennai's suburbs, Tiruchy and Tuticorin.
The AIADMK is contesting as many as 160 seats, highest in recent times, out of 234 seats for the April 13 Assembly polls.
In western Tamil Nadu, considered one of the traditional strongholds of the party, the AIADMK has chosen to contest all the four seats in Karur district, seven out of eight in Tirupur district, six out of eight in Erode district, and eight out of ten seats in Coimbatore district.
Interestingly, AIADMK is contesting in more seats in and around Tiruchy district this time. Including the party general secretary Ms Jayalalithaa's Srirangam, the party is contesting seven out of nine seats this time. In Chennai city, after yielding to the demands of actor Vijayakanth's DMDK and CPI (M), the party has fielded candidates in 12 out of the 16 seats, while suburban Kancheepuram (9/11) and Tiruvallur 7/10. While party general secretary J. Jayalalithaa was forced to part with more seats to allies in southern Tamil Nadu, she has still retained a large number of seats in western Tamil Nadu.
However, the party has restricted itself from contesting more seats in northern districts.The party is contesting only two out of five seats in Dharmapuri, three out of six in Krishnagiri, five out of nine in Cuddalore district.
In the previous list, which created a storm among the allies, the AIADMK had decided to contest only four out of 13 seats in Vellore.
Subsequently the number rose to eight after the pressure by allies to allot seats in other districts.
Similarly, the party intended to contest in a lone seat out of eight in Tiruvannamalai district and two out of nine in Cuddalore district. But the number has gone up to six and five respectively.