BJP clinches seat-sharing deal with PMK in TN
Villupuram (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday clinched a seat-sharing deal with the Dr S Ramadoss-headed Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Tamil Nadu for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls, allotting 10 seats to the regional party.
BJP state president K Annamalai and PMK founder Ramadoss signed the pact at the Thailapuram residence of the latter here.
The PMK is a Vanniyar community-dominated party and has significant influence in some of the northern districts of the state.
As per the understanding, "PMK will fight from 10 seats in Tamil Nadu in the NDA," Annamalai later told reporters in a joint press briefing with PMK President and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumani Ramadoss.
Both leaders insisted that the PMK has been in the NDA for the past 10 years, fighting the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls as a constituent of the BJP-led bloc.
Annamalai heaped praises on Ramadoss, saying he wanted to implement "revolutionary" ideas for the benefit of the society which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was doing presently.
Union Minister L Murugan was present during the meeting between the top leaders of the two parties.
Ramadoss could join the PM at a rally slated later in nearby Salem district on Tuesday.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
