Chennai, March 26 (ANI): Ending days of political speculations about its crucial political move, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has finally decided to part ways from Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam and shake hands with Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK party.

General Council members voted for an alliance with the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK after the party founder S. Ramadoss conducted a “referendum” to decide the party’s

electoral strategy during which an overwhelming support was expressed to be with AIADMK during the Lok Sabha polls.

The development also holds significance as it has come on a day when actor-turned politician Vijaykanth announced that his party DMDK would go it alone in the elections,

dashing the hopes of DMK-Congress combine.

Meanwhile, Ramadoss is expected to meet AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa on Thursday evening to ink an electoral pact under which the PMK would contest seven Lok

Sabha seats, one extra than it contested during the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

Moreover, with today’s decision, the PMK has also decided to pull out its ministers from the Union government.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, son of the PMK chief, said he would resign in two days. The party has another nominee R Velu, who is Minister of State for Railways.

In the last elections, the DMK-led DPA front which included Congress, PMK, MDMK, CPI and CPIM swept all the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu in addition to the lone seat in

Puducherry, making a clean sweep embarrassing the AIADMK-BJP combine.

Jayalalithaa, meanwhile, has hosted tea for Ramadoss on Thursday evening where MDMK leader Vaiko and leaders of CPI-M and CPI, allies of AIADMK, have been invited.

She would sign the seat sharing agreements with these parties, AIADMK sources said.

The PMK would be part of the AIADMK-led front after eight years gap.

In 2001, the PMK was part of the AIADMK-led front during Assembly polls, which Jayalalithaa won. But the former parted company following the midnight arrest of DMK

Chief M Karunanidhi in July 2001 in a graft case.

It is for the third time that the PMK would be fighting the polls in alliance with the AIADMK. Both were constituents of the BJP-led front in the 1998 Lok Sabha polls. (ANI)