Jayalalithaa Expels Partyman Who Suggested She Would Ally With Modi

Chennai: J Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, has expelled a leader from her party for suggesting that she will ally with Narendra Modi, widely expected to be India's next prime minister.  

K Malaisamy, a former parliamentarian from the AIADMK, said on Wednesday that Mr Modi "is a great friend of Jayalalithaa" even if "they may differ politically".  

"If he becomes Prime Minister, then madam (J Jayalalithaa) would like close ties," Mr Malaisamy had opined.  He has been charged with "bringing disrepute to the party."
(Jayalalithaa Does Not Rule Out Support for Narendra Modi, Her Party Seeks "Close Ties" )

Jayalalithaa, a former movie star, had not contradicted him yesterday, telling reporters "Let's wait for the results" which will be declared tomorrow.

NDTV's exit poll shows Mr Modi and his party, the BJP, trouncing the Congress and landing a majority with allies.  Jayalalithaa is forecast to emerge as the third-largest party with 32 parliamentary seats.  (Watch NDTV Exit Poll: 279 for BJP and Allies, Congress in Double Digits)

The exit poll gives the BJP's coalition 279 seats, seven more than it needs to form the government.

In order to build a more stable coalition, there has been speculation that Mr Modi will seek a partnership with Jayalalithaa's AIADMK. (NDTV Exit Poll: Jayalalithaa's AIADMK to be Third Largest Party)

The two leaders have talked in the past of a good political equation and they attended each other's swearing-in ceremonies as chief ministers of their states.

Though they censured each other in rallies in Tamil Nadu during this election campaign, Mr Modi has hinted that they are close despite "political differences." (Considered close, Narendra Modi and Jayalalithaa target each other)

Jayalalithaa began criticizing Mr Modi after key Muslim groups sided with the DMK, her political rival in Tamil Nadu. ( Opinion: Now trending, Jayalalithaa vs Narendra Modi )

She is also part of the third front though the left parties who parted ways  following differences with AIADMK over seat sharing. West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee too had earlier welcomed the idea of Ms Jayalalithaa becoming the Prime Minister if numbers favorited.