DMK may not be willing to allot Chennai seats to allies

The buzz is that the DMK is keen on contesting all Chennai seats, including the lone Mylapore seat it had apportioned to Congress in 2016. If sources in Anna Arivalayam were to be believed, the DMK was doing the ground work to ‘retain’ all seats in the capital.

At least half a dozen probable candidates were vying with each for Assembly seats except a couple of star seats like Kolathur, Thousand Lights, Saidapet and Chepauk. While Kolathur would remain untouched, unless Stalin chooses to move out of his constituency, one of the other three aforesaid constituencies would be ‘reserved’ for the party youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi. In the same breath, the four district secretaries, Sekar Babu, Sudharshanam, Subramanian and newcomer Sitrarasu would not be challenged in seat allotment, reducing the seat availability to around half a dozen seats in the core city.

DMK functionaries were learnt to have started elaborate preparations for the electoral battle in the capital already. “The remaining seats have too many aspirants and the high command concurs with the district units that it should not sacrifice its strongholds to any of the allies. There is no way the high command would compromise and allot seats to allies, unless there is a dramatic change of heart in our leadership,” said a party senior who did not wish to be named. Curiously, the allies, who have caught whiff of the DMK’s plans, were undeterred.

Apart from Congress, which might hope to get one seat in the capital, a rank new comer is said to be keen on getting a ticket in Chennai. MDMK leader Vaiko’s son Durai Vaiyapuri, sources said, has an eye on Anna Nagar constituency. Grapevine has it that the MDMK leader’s son, who has been managing the party’s affairs during the lockdown, plans to make his electoral debut in the upmarket Chennai constituency.