Chennai, Jan 28: After a gap of about five years, the BJP and AIADMK today struck an alliance to contest the coming Lok Sabha polls. A decision to this effect was taken at a 45-minute meeting between BJP president Venkaiah Naidu and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at her Poes Garden residence here. Details of seat-sharing and identification of constituencies to be contested by the parties would be worked out with BJP`s state unit and AIADMK, the AIADMK supremo and Naidu told reporters after the meeting.

This is the second time the BJP is entering into an alliance with the AIADMK, the first being in 1998. However, in 1999, the AIADMK had snapped ties with the BJP leading to the fall of the Vajpayee government.

Bureau Report