CHENNAI: The 2021 Assembly polls will be significant for the fact that it is the first electoral battle between the Dravidian majors, after the demise of two charismatic leaders -- J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi. It is now a battle between Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Opposition leader and DMK president MK Stalin. Political analysts opined that the upcoming election is reminiscent of the 1977 and 1989 polls where individual popularity decided the outcome.
The AIADMK government’s decision to introduce 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation for government school students in medical courses appears to have brought smiles on the faces of many as opposed to the displeasure over the NEET issue. Both, Palaniswami and Stalin have also been announcing sops for college students, and have never missed an opportunity to congratulate young achievers.
“This election is all about positive votes,” said Raveendran Duraisamy, a political analyst. “Being assertive is a virtue of strong leadership. Yielding to the pressure of alliance partners will weaken their (leaders’) appeal,” he added. However, even before the election is notified, there has been much friction among parties in alliance that has been visible for quite some time now.
According to sources, both the Dravidian majors want to field their candidates in around 160 to 180 seats, of the total 234. This means, barring the BJP in the AIADMK alliance and the Congress in the DMK front, other parties may be offered seats in only single digits. “The AIADMK has been gauging anti-incumbency mood and other factors and is planning to contest in 170 to 180 seats,” said a source.
DMDK treasurer, Premalatha Vijayakanth, had recently urged the ruling party to commence seat-sharing talks, and added that her party wanted to contest in as many as 41 seats. The PMK’s position in the alliance is yet to be confirmed. Similarly, the DMK, too, is planning to contest 185 to 190 seats, said sources.
While the number of seats for Congress was yet to be finalised, the VCK, MDMK and Left parties were offered two to three seats each, added sources. In select constituencies, the parties may be asked to contest under the ‘rising sun’ symbol, depending on the opposite side. However, sources said both the VCK and the MDMK have neither accepted nor refused the offer.
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