Once MK Stalin's fiercest critic, Vaiko's political career graph has run zig zag, up and down, through the years. Currently, it appears to be going down.
His party, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), after being allocated four seats by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is contesting under the "Rising Sun" symbol of the DMK.
In 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party was allotted "Matchbox" symbol.
Imagine a man forced to exit DMK in 1994 because, among other reasons, he was seen as a threat to the rise of then DMK chief M Karunanidhi's son MK Stalin.
A defiant Vaiko went on to float MDMK with his loyalists, ending up as a smaller constituent in the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) for the upcoming elections. What do you call it? The quirks of politics?
Vaiko had joined the DMK in the late 1960s and thanks to his oratory soon become the blue-eyed boy of Karunanidhi. Things went sour when Karunanidhi started grooming his son MK Stalin as his political heir.
The irony, as pointed out by political expert and assistant professor of Political Science, School of Social Sciences and Languages at Vellore Institute of Technology, Arun Kumar G is that, "Vaiko launched his political party as a protest against dynastic politics in the DMK. But he himself ended up promoting his own son Durai Vaiko who became the principal secretary of MDMK in October 2021. The son is presently a Lok Sabha MP."
"Vaiko always took wrong turns in politics which eventually led to his current state," Arun Kumar told this website.
The 81-year-old has always been a very emotional person.
During the run-up to the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2016, he launched a highly scathing and personal attack on Karunanidhi. MDMK was part of the People's Welfare Front (PWF) comprising Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), the two Left parties, and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) at that time.
"In retaliation, DMK supporters blocked Vaiko and threw footwear at his car when he went to see Karunanidhi after the latter was admitted to Kauvery Hospital in Chennai due to ill-health," Arun Kumar recalled.
Vaiko later tendered an apology to the DMK leader, terming his attack on the latter the "biggest mistake in his life".
Political scientist and former Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, Ramu Manivannan said that Vaiko couldn't manage to keep his party and movement intact. He lacked the political and organisational acumen of Karunanidhi.
Karunanidhi was a superior organisational man. Even when he was in the opposition, Karunanidhi kept the party alive and kicking. Vaiko had this tendency to go for short-term benefits in politics and paid a heavy price for it, Manivannan stated.
Vaiko had seen too many ups and downs in politics, Arun Kumar said, while noting how his party was part of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) during the 1998 Lok Sabha polls. After the AIADMK quit the NDA in 1999, Vaiko's MDMK became part of the DMK-led NDA in the 1999 general elections.
He went on to exit the DMK alliance due to disagreements over seat-sharing ahead of the 2001 Assembly polls and contested alone. The AIADMK came to power and on July 11, 2002, he was arrested by J Jayalalithaa government under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) for a speech supporting the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Despite political differences Karunanidhi met Vaiko in jail and due to the ex-CM's unstinting efforts, Vaiko came out of jail.
In 2004 Lok Sabha polls, he was part of the DMK-Congress alliance which swept the polls by winning all the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and helped the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government came to power in the Centre.
In 2006, Vaiko exited the alliance to back Jayalalithaa. In that election MDMK MLAs were fewer in number in what was a major downfall for the party.
After that the final blow came in 2011 when he was part of the AIADMK alliance. Since MDMK was not allocated many seats, Vaiko announced that his party will stay away from the elections. After that the party completely collapsed, Arun Kumar noted.
Vaiko supported Narendra Modi in 2014, but exited the alliance within two months after Mahinda Rajapaksa, then President of Sri Lanka, was invited as a special guest for Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
In the 2015-16 period most of the founding members of the MDMK crossed over to the DMK. This meant that over the years Vaiko completely lost his political relevance, said Arun Kumar.
"He was vocal in his support for Tamil nationalisation and Dravida nationalisation, but his contribution to Tamil nationalisation is questionable," Arun Kumar said.
Vaiko became a Rajya Sabha member in 1978. He won the Lok Sabha polls in 1998 and 1999 from the Sivakasi constituency. He lost the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Virudhunagar constituency. He was Rajya Sabha MP (DMK) between 1978 and 1984, 1984-1990, and 1990-1996. He was Rajya Sabha MP (MDMK) from 2019-2025.
With his fiery speeches, he was known as 'Lion of Parliament'. A lawyer by profession, at 81 years, his oratory skills are still intact. The authenticity depends on who is listening.
"Vaiko's political descent is a revelation of political reality in India," Ramu Manivannan said.
