The AIADMK, BJP, PMK and DMDK alliance is likely to win 15 Tamil Nadu seats, while the DMK, Congress and VCK combine may perform better than its rivals with 24 seats in the Lok Sabha elections beginning next month, according to the News Nation national opinion poll. DMK’s arch-rival and ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) swept the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu in 2014 and won 37 out of the 39 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to win just one seat, while the DMK and Congress failed to win any.
The BJP is contesting five seats in Tamil Nadu in the 2019 national polls in alliance with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu as it seeks to return to power at the Centre. It has peaked in its western and northern Indian strongholds like Uttar Pradesh, where it won 71 out of the 80 seats in 2014.
On Sunday, ending days of suspense and hard bargain, the ruling AIADMK inked an electoral pact with the DMDK led by actor-turned politician Vijayakanth, allotting it four of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in th state.
An agreement was signed between the top leadership of the two parties -- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam and Vijayakanth and DMDK Treasurer and his wife Premalatha.
Incidentally, the announcement came shortly after the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha poll schedule. Tamil Nadu is going to polls on April 18.
The AIADMK-led alliance already has the BJP, PMK, Puthiya Tamizhagam and AINRC as its members. The DMDK was expected to be part of the alliance in time for the March 6 election rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi near Chennai. However, it did not materialise though leaders of the two parties had indicated that by the next meeting to be addressed by Modi in the state, the alliance would be firmed up.
The DMK has entered into alliance with Congress, VCK, IUML, MDMK and CPI-M and CPI. By signing the pact with the DMDK, the AIADMK has almost come to the penultimate stage of finalising the alliance led by it in Tamil Nadu.
Already, the party has finalised seat sharing with BJP and PMK and a few smaller outfits for the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, alloting 18 of the 40 seats at stake. It has alloted seven seats to PMK and one to Scheduled Caste-based Puthiya Tamizhagam in the state and the lone Puducherry seat to AINRC.
The alliance parties have also agreed to extend support to the AIADMK for the byelections. There are expectations that former Minister GK Vasan led Tamil Maanila Congress may join the AIADMK front, giving the final shape to the combine that will take on the DMK-led alliance.
The AIADMK which for the first time joined hands with the DMDK in 2011 is again tying up with that party after a long hiatus.
This election should be DMK chief MK Stalin’s for the taking. But several factors weigh down the DMK alliance. Despite A Raja and M Kanimozhi being acquitted in the 2G case, the DMK has not been able to shed the tag of corruption. With A Raja, Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi Maran expected to get a seat in the Lok Sabha Elections, the AIADMK and the BJP will no doubt target the DMK-Congress alliance over corruption during the UPA era, according to News Minute.
Reports suggest with Jayalalithaa no longer on the electoral scene, the anti-AIADMK votes should go to the DMK. But TTV Dhinakaran can only split the AIADMK’s vote, he may also end up playing spoilsport for the DMK as well.
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