The venue for the ongoing pre-poll alliance negotiations between the BJP and the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) has shifted to New Delhi, with the representatives of the DMDK flying to the capital to hold talks.

The DMDK had earlier issued strong rebuttal to the news reports that the party had reached an understanding with the DMK for the state assembly polls. The rumour gained credence when the Vijayakanth-Prakash Javadekar meeting, which was to be held in Chennai, was dropped. The DMDK had allegedly demanded more than 100 seats and wanted the BJP to project Vijayakanth as the Chief Ministerial candidate.

Vijayakanth’s brother-in-law and senior DMDK leader Sudheesh is leading the team of representatives to New Delhi. A decision will be made only after meeting Prakash Javadekar, the BJP’s Tamil Nadu election in-charge.

With the AIADMK hinting at contesting the polls alone, competition continues to hit feverish pitches among the BJP, the DMK, and the Peoples Welfare Alliance (PWA, consisting of CPI, the CPI-M, the MDMK VCK) to forge an alliance with the DMDK, based on the speculations that the party retains the ten percent vote share that it had secured in the assembly elections of 2011.