Chennai: In a major development ahead of Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, DMDK president Vijayakanth has announced his party — the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) — would join the People’s Welfare Party alliance constituting the two Left parties, MDMK and VCK.
The actor-turned-politician will also be the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance.
An official statement said the DMDK will contest 124 seats and the rest will go to the other parties. DMDK president Vijayakanth will be projected as the chief ministerial candidate of the front
Mhe announcement may come as a disappointment to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Dravid Munnetra Kazagham (DMK), both of which have been trying to woo Vijayakanth.
Earlier today leaders of the four-party bloc People's Welfare Front (PWF) today began talks with DMDK chief Vijayakanth here to woo the party on forging an alliance for the May 16 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
After persuading DMDK for months to join hands with it, PWF leaders - MDMK's Vaiko, CPI(M) and CPI State Secretaries G Ramakrishnan and R Mutharasan respectively and VCK chief Thirumavalavan - arrived at the DMDK headquarters this morning.
They were holding talks with Vijayakanth and an announcement was expected on the outcome later, PWF sources said.
DMDK announced on March 10 that it would contest the polls alone taking on both AIADMK and DMK. The party, however, invited other "like-minded parties" for talks.
Such parties should accept Vijayakanth as the Chief Ministerial candidate, the party had indicated.
DMK and BJP had also tried to rope in the actor-turned politician into their alliance.
Today's parleys between PWF and DMDK comes two days after DMK President M Karunanidhi had indicated that talks were on with DMDK and expressed hope of forging an alliance.
However, his son and DMK Treasurer M K Stalin had yesterday sought to clarify that Karunanidhi had only mentioned about an invitation extended to Vijayakanth earlier and no fresh initiative had been taken now.
