Clear picture on electoral alliance by month end: TMC leader

Coimbatore: Tamil Maanila Congress' decision on the question of alliance for the coming Tamil Nadu assembly elections would be finalised by this month end, party Senior Vice President S R Balasubramanian said today.

"We are in the process of finalising the poll strategy and a clear picture would emerge by the end of March," he told reporters here.

Stating that party president G K Vasan had already toured 170 of the 234 assembly constituencies so far to feel the pulse of the electorate, he said the party had also identified its winnable constituencies.

Parrying a query on negotiations with AIADMK or any other party, the former Union Minister said the alliance in which TMC is a partner will be the winning combination.

However, he said Vasan would not be projected as a chief ministerial candidate, adding TMC would not be a part of the next government.

He urged the Centre either to ban or restrict the import of Palm oil and kernel saying the import was the main reason for the steep fall in the prices of coconut and groundnut oil.