Chennai, Feb 25-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Monday announced candidates for all the 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Jayalalithaa, who is celebrating her 66th birthday, addressed a press conference in her party headquarters in Chennai in the morning.
She said once seat sharing talks with the Left parties concluded, her candidate list will be adjusted accordingly.
It is expected that Jayalalithaa will allot two seats each to the CPI and the CPI-M with whom she concluded an electoral pact few weeks ago.
In the AIADMK’s list, four are women and sitting MPs such as M. Thambithurai and Kumar have also been given another chance to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Later to media, Jayalalithaa said her party’s slogan for the elections will be “Peace, Prosperity and Progress” and this will not only be for Tamil Nadu but also for the entire country.
Jayalalithaa said her party would concentrate to win all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
She however did not elaborate about her own chances of becoming the prime minister.
Regarding the release of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins, Jayalalithaa said: “We will counter the issue in the court. Whatever we wanted to say we will say it in the court. The matter is in the court and I don’t want to say anything more than this”.
She also announced that she would on a whirlwind tour of the state from March 3 to April 5 and campaign for her candidates.
Jayalalithaa’s announcement has energised her party. When all the major political parties in the state such as the DMK, the Congress and the BJP are struggling to cobble an alliance, Jayalalithaa’s announcement has thrilled party cadre.
“While the DMK is finding it difficult to rope in the DMDK of Vijayakanth and the Congress virtually left in the lurch with no alliance partners and the BJP finding it equally difficult to convince Vijayakanth and find amicable solution for seat sharing with both the PMK and the MDMK, Amma’s announcement shows not only her confidence but also her absolute grip on the state’s politics”, a senior AIADMK minister told Indiatoday.in.
Meanwhile, AIADMK cadre celebrated Jayalalithaa’s birthday with fanfare in the state.
Feasts for poor, functions rolling out financial assistance to the needy, special poojas and blood donation camps marked the celebrations.
Even senior ministers are offering poojas and pulling out chariots as part and parcel of their prayers for the welfare of their leader.
Thousands of posters across the city hailed her as their future prime minister with the Parliament building on the background.
At a grand function held in the morning at AIADMK headquarters, senior ministers and AIADMK leaders cut a 66-kg cake designed in the shape of Parliament.
-Indiatoday
