CHENANI: Hectic political activities have begun in the south, with Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala going to polls on May 16. In Tamil Nadu, there could be multicornered fights among alliances led by the ruling AIADMK, opposition DMK, the four-party People’s Welfare Alliance and the BJP-led NDA that has so far only managed to attract marginal players. Former NDA ally, PMK is yet to make up its mind on who to sail with. The DMK and Congress have decided to sink or sail together just as they have done in all the elections since 2004. This time they are trying to rope in DMDK.
In Kerala, where the difference in vote share between the two main fronts—UDF and LDF—in the 2011 polls was less than one per cent, the likely emergence of a third front led by BJP may queer the pitch this time.
While the UDF is hoping to cash in on its development plank, the LDF is set to unleash a campaign for which the tone has already been set with charges of graft and sleaze against the government. The Muslim League of the UDF has set the tempo by announcing 20 candidates. The third largest constituent in the UDF, Kerala Congress (M), has split once again.