DMDK breaks silence, joins poll fray

Besides the AIADMK and DMK, PMK and BJP have already announced their candidates. With the DMDK announcing the candidates, all of a sudden, the contest gathers momentum. The party announced the candidates for the Assembly elections to Aravakurichi and Thanjavur and fielded a candidate for the Tirupparankundram by-election. In a release, DMDK president and actor-politician Vijayakant announced that Aravai M Muthu would contest from the Aravakurichi constituency while V Abdullah Sait would be facing the elections from Thanjavur. 

For Tirupparankundram constituency, it was T Thanapandian who would be the party’s candidate. Speaking to DTNext, Nallathambi, state deputy youth wing leader, DMDK said, “We will strive hard to win the elections. We request the Election Commission (EC) to conduct the elections in a transparent manner unlike the last time in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur.” He added that they would intensify the campaign and go door-to-door to meet voters directly. As far as the candidates’ profiles were concerned, the Aravakurichi candidate, Muthu had been active in the party for over 10 years, while Tirupparankundram candidate Thanapandian contested the 2006 Assembly elections and 2009 by-election in Thirumangalam constituency. However, he lost in both the elections. 

“The party, after May 2016 Assembly elections, abstained from any political and public activities. Even the party did not express concern over the Cauvery issue and participate in any protests. This had give a bad impression among the public and DMDK’s chances of winning would be remote,” A Marx, a political critic said. 

The party, which was in the PWF fold and contested May 2016 Assembly elections faced rout and even the party president Vijayakant lost in Ulundurpet constituency The Election Commission cancelled the May 2016 elections in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur constituencies on the charges of large scale bribing of voters by political parties and the by-poll to Tiruparankundram was necessitated by the death of AIADMK MLA Seenivel in May soon after the elections. 

The four-party combine PWF, that included the MDMK, the CPI, CPI(M) and the VCK, and its ally in the May 16 polls, the TMC of former Shipping Minister G K Vasan, have decided to stay away from the November 19 poll.