The wait for the official confirmation of the DMDK’s alliance for the Lok Sabha polls is expected to be made in the first few days of the coming week, according to sources in the DMDK.
They say their leader, Vijayakant, is likely to decide on the matter soon after he returns from Singapore, where he has gone to seek medical counsel. They also refuted rumours that Vijayakant is preparing to undergo surgery in Singapore.
“This is a false propaganda by our political opponents. He is a public figure. If he was that unwell everyone would have noticed it. He has only gone there for consultation for a minor health issue,” said a senior party functionary.
“Captain is expected to return to Chennai on March 1 or 2. The decision on the alliance will be made soon after that,” said a senior party functionary.
Other senior members of the party have remained tight-lipped, some even claiming ignorance about Vijayakant’s decision on alliance.
However, the DMDK has agreed ‘in principle’ for a pre-poll tie-up with the BJP, and only the hitches in seat sharing has stalled a formal announcement.
Vijayakant’s departure from Chennai last Sunday was a low-key affair, uncharacteristically for him. Party cadre usually converge on the airport for a send-off party, and Vijayakant usually speaks to the media. Airport sources also say he usually avoids the VIP lounge, mingles with other passengers and obliges their requests to be photographed with him.
But, all those things were missing, when he left for Singapore with his wife, Premalatha, and a female relative.
Sources in the party say Vijayakant has been suffering from dark rashes around his face. This had prevented him, on two of the four days, from taking part in the interviews of applicants for the party ticket in the Lok Sabha polls, held from February 9 to 12.
It is for this condition primarily that he has flown to Singapore for medical counsel. Sources say he is also seeking advice for a long standing problem of watery eyes, which they say is a result of standing in front of bright lights for many years during his film career.