CHENNAI: Even as MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who is also the convenor of People’s Welfare Front (PWF) exuded confidence, when he announced that the People’s Welfare Front would function as the People’s Welfare Alliance (PWA) and face the 2016 Assembly polls, opposition parties are skeptical about the unity of its constituents. Election analysts feel that much will depend on how the PWA leaders meet the general expectation for an alternative force in the State.
DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said, “Wait and see... I am telling this out of my experiences in past elections. Lots of changes will emerge as the Assembly election advances. Within the PWF, there are differences over transforming the Front into a political alliance.” Elsewhere in Dharmapuri, DMK treasurer MK Stalin said he was not bothered about the alliance at all.
BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan asserted that an alliance headed by the BJP alone could provide an alternative to the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Mahila Congress president and MLA, S Vijayadharani too is pessimistic about the continuance of the alliance. She said that when parties like the Congress, DMK, AIADMK and the BJP decide on alliances, there would definitely be a realignment of political forces. In that scenario, whether the constituents of the PWA would remain together is a question, she added.
Asked about PWA’s impact in Tamil Nadu, political commentator Gnani said there is an expectation among the people that an alternative should emerge to the AIADMK and the DMK. When Vijaykant raised that slogan, people gave him 10 per cent votes as token of support. But he failed to utilise the opportunity. “There is an impression among the public that both Left parties, VCK and Vaiko would be firm on their ideologies and also there is no negative image against these leaders”, he added. However, he said the success of the alliance would lie in the manner in which they reach out to people.