CHENNAI: Days after it dramatically exited the AIADMK-led alliance, Vijayakant's DMDK on Sunday inked a poll pact with the AMMK, a party formed with the ostensible goal of reclaiming the AIAMDK, to contest in 60 constituencies across the State, including 23 reserved seats. The party has announced that its treasurer Premalatha Vijayakant will contest from the Vriddhachalam assembly constituency which first sent her husband Vijayakant, the party's founder to Assembly in 2006. This is the second consecutive Assembly election in which the DMDK is contesting as part of a 'third' front.
The DMDK, which had vowed revenge on the ruling party over the “disrespect” shown to it, quickly backed away from its claim of contesting all 234 constituencies alone and tried to form an alliance with the DMK. After talks with the principal opposition party failed, it managed to finalise a deal with TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK. The AMMK, which had already released three lists of candidates, reworked its formula to accommodate the DMDK.
Some of the seats allocated to the DMDK include Tindivanam, the hometown of PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss and Vriddhachalam, which first sent Vijayakant to the Assembly in 2006. The party announced that it is fielding former MLAs P Parthasarathy from Virugambakkam, D Muruegsan from Pallavaram, P Sivakozhundhu from Panrutti, L Venkatesan from Thirukoyilur, Azhagapuram R Mohanraj from Salem (west) and S Senthilkumar for Thiruverambur.
According to insiders, initially the party's district secretaries were amenable with going it alone or in alliance with the DMK. However, after talks with the DMK fell through, the party faced difficulties in finding enough candidates to field in 234 constituencies. “Most of those who had sought a party ticket, except district secretaries, backtracked after learning the party would contest alone. Faced with limited options and time, we decided to go with the AMMK,” a State-level functionary explained. “Besides, the DMDK and the AMMK have the same goal of unseating the AIADMK,” he added.
Talks with the AMMK became prolonged as the DMDK was keen to accommodate all of its district secretaries with tickets. “Till Saturday night, the AMMK offered only 41 seats. Since our leadership wants to accommodate all the district secretaries, we demanded at least 75 seats. Finally, we agreed on 60 seats,” a district secretary explained, adding that the party wanted to prove its strength and “teach the AIADMK a lesson for underestimating” its strength.
Nearly a third of the seats allocated to the party are located in the northern and north-western districts, the so-called Vanniyar caste belt, in which the PMK enjoys strong community support. “Our leader Vijayakant floated the party because of the atrocities committed by PMK cadres against his fan clubs in the northern districts. We sought seats in those districts to regain our legacy as an anti-PMK party,” another leader claimed.