AIADMK, DMDK to contest together

Chennai : All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) head Jayalalithaa on Friday evening signed on the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) to take on the Tamil Nadu state elections together which begin on Apr. 13.

DMDK president and Tamil cinema actor Vijayakanth, party presidium chairman Panruti Ramachandran and Youth wing secretary Sudheesh walked away with 41 seats from a meeting at Jayalalithaa?s residence last evening.

The alliance comes after the six-year-old DMDK had announced that it was likely to join the AIADMK to oust the Karunanidhi-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) from power on Feb 24.

Having said earlier that it would not form an alliance with any other party, the DMDK apparently gave into the pressures from party cadres after a less-than-satisfactory performance at the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.