DMK, Congress sing different tunes on election results
In yet another instance revealing the widening wedge in DMK-Congress alliance in the state, the respective party leaders reacted in a starkly contradictory manner over the poll results of three Assembly seats.
By : migrator
Update: 2016-11-23 17:48 GMT
Chennai
Thanking the voters for voting for his party candidates in Aravakurichi, Thanjavur and Thiruparankundram elections, DMK president M Karunanidhi called the AIADMK triumph as another victory for money power. Karunanidhi, who had abstained from the poll campaign owing to a drug-induced allergy he had been suffering during the last fortnight, said though the DMK candidates had lost the elections, the voters had voted to them with the intention of making them win the polls. “I thank the 2,09,257 voters who had cast their vote for the DMK and workers of the party and alliance parties for their hard work,” he said in a statement. Describing AIADMK electoral success as an ‘artificial victory’, the nonagenarian said the ruling party’s victory was not a surprise as it was achieved through misuse of official machinery and indirect support of the Election Commission and distribution of money to voters.
“In this, the hard work of the DMK went unnoticed,” Karunanidhi said. Meanwhile, state Congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar said the ruling party was the natural choice of voters in the intermediate polls as they feel that they would get more benefits if they send a representative of the ruling party to the Assembly from their constituency. Curiously, the TNCC chief, who is an ally of the DMK, steered clear of criticising the ruling party. This is not the first instance when the state Congress chief and the DMK leader were echoing contrary views. Thirunavukkarasar had caused some discomfort in the ally DMK camp earlier by airing views considerate of the AIADMK, especially during the first few weeks of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation.
No surprise, say Left parties
Leaders of the Left parties, allies of the PWF, on Wednesday said that the winning by AIADMK candidates is nothing unusual as far as state politics is concerned. Speaking to DTNext, R Mutharasan, state secretary, CPI said, “There is nothing unusual in the AIADMK’s win in three Assembly segments. Going by the current political scenario in the state, it has become a norm that candidates only from ruling party should win any by-polls or regular elections and these concluded elections prove it beyond doubt.” He said PWF did not field any candidate in the election knowing the influence of money power. Similarly, T K Rangarajan, a CPM leader and Rajya Sabha MP, said, “In Tamil Nadu, there are two major Dravidian parties and PWF was formed as the third front ahead of the Assembly election. However, results of the by-elections have ended in favour of the ruling party.” As PWF unanimously decided to boycott the election, the CPM was sticking to the decision, he added.
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