CHENNAI: If DMK indeed forged a secret pre-poll pact with AIADMK rebel T T V Dhinakaran, as is being alleged, the party’s working president M K Stalin just dug his political grave. If not, DMK should go for a thorough introspection to analyse how it got to where it is now.Several factors went against the DMK in RK Nagar. Its candidate N Marudhu Ganesh was not dynamic. And the party’s poll strategists lacked ideas to outdo both Dhinakaran and the ruling AIADMK.
Instead of fighting the polls in the lanes and bylanes of RK Nagar, the DMK fought it more in court halls and chambers of the Election Commission, filing cases and e-mailing petitions. And Stalin hit the campaign trail only at the fag end of electioneering.Opposition parties that extended support to DMK too failed to evoke much response among the voters. MDMK general secretary Vaiko hit the campaign trail but failed to draw voter response. VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan landed a few punches, but voters seldom noticed them.The mind game of consolidating votes to drive a wedge between Dhinakaran and AIADMK’s E Madhusudhanan did not work as planned.