TIRUCHY: The Election Commission of India (ECI), conveying to the Madras High Court on Wednesday its refusal to allot the ‘top’ symbol to the MDMK this Lok Sabha election, has stoked tensions within the INDIA bloc in the state, particularly after party principal secretary Durai Vaiko recently expressed reservations against contesting on the DMK’s ‘rising sun’ symbol.
On the development, a DMK functionary said, "When he (Durai) raged in front of ministers, party functionaries were demotivated. The functionaries, only out of goodwill, sought him to contest on the ‘rising sun’ symbol. But he had lost his temper before everyone."
"Despite the DMK having bitter experiences with the MDMK in the past, we have changed to work for Durai Vaiko’s victory. However, he seems to be lacking the experience to handle election fever at the grassroots," the functionary added.
An alliance worker from Woraiyur said, "The MDMK has not even opened their election office in Tiruchy. Despite factors being favorable on the ground, their passive approach is playing spoilsport."
"It is not easy to popularize the symbol in rural areas, and it's complicated to do so within a short span," the functionary added.
Meanwhile, Durai Vaiko told media persons, "We have opted for two other (poll) symbols. The ECI is being unfair to us. They also did not allot the VCK [its preferred] symbol even though they are contesting in two constituencies."
When asked how confident he was in popularizing a new symbol, he said, "In panchayat elections, even without forming any alliance, candidates are able to popularize their symbol and win elections. I don't see this as an issue. 90% of voters are on social media."