MUMBAI: After having spent most part of the last five years when it was not even the principal opposition party, the DMK and allies have won about 100 seats as per last count – more powerful than any that occupied those benches in the history of the State Assembly. That, however, may not be enough for the party and its leadership as there are no consolation prizes in this game.
Party insiders have credited the intensive campaign that DMK treasurer and party president M Karunanidhi’s son, MK Stalin, undertook across the State for this show. Stalin himself has won from Kolathur near Chennai while Karunanidhi won from his native Tiruvarur by a record margin and for a record 13th time. More importantly, several of the second leaders of the party will be back inside the Assembly lending weight to the battle inside the House in the coming days.
A source told Express that one of the mistakes that the party did was to bank on principal opposition party DMDK and its founder-leader Vijayakant. The DMK had made some desperate moves to bring in Vijayakant which would have created a big difference in the outcome. However, much to their disappointment, the DMDK decided to joined the Third Front as its leader.
“Unlike most elections in the past, the opposition was fractured into multiple front this time. This affected our performance. It should be noted that some of the ministers were defeated in the polls, which has revealed that the people are upset,” claimed a DMK leader.
The performance that the party put up has enthused its cadre, though the disappointment in not delivering the last mile votes to take it past the winning post was palpable. Putting up a brave face, many leaders and cadre also pointed out that the party has improved its vote share substantially when compared to the last Assembly and also Lok Sabha election.
The party can take heart from the fact that it has made some inroads into the southern zone, long considered to be the stronghold of the AIADMK. It fared poorly at Madurai, but in rest of the southern districts, the DMK has put up a strong show. In all, it won 28 of the 58 seats in the zone. Some of the defeats, like in the case of Appavu at Radhapuram, the margin was only 49 votes.
A special case is Kanyakumari district, where the party and its ally, Congress, won all six seats.
Hail heir apparent
Party insiders credited the performance to the intensive campaign DMK treasurer and party president M Karunanidhi’s son Stalin undertook. He won from Kolathur while Karunanidhi won from his native Tiruvarur by a record margin and for a record 13th time. Importantly, several of the second leaders of the party will be back inside the Assembly lending weight to the battle inside the House in the coming days.