Chennai, Mar 27: Ruling DMK and AIADMK are locked in a close race for electoral supremacy in the April 13 Tamil Nadu Asssembly polls with both sewing up formidable alliances,setting the stage for one of the fiercest battles ever.
Both the major Dravidian parties have been winning the elections alternately since 1989 and AIADMK taking the lead in bringing all major opposition parties under its umbrella has made the contest a much closer one than ever before.
DMK has retained its seven-year old ally Congress,considered to be the third largest party in the state, besides the most backward Vanniars based Pattali Makkal Katchi,Dalit-based Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Kongu Makkal Katchi (KMK) and the IUML.
For its part, the AIADMK has aligned with the actor-turned politician Vijaykant's DMDK, the second largest constituent of the front, the Left parties and some minor parties, including Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi, a Muslim outfit.
The DMK front claims that the presence of PMK and VCK, has given their front an upper hand in the northern parts of the state, where Vanniyars and Dalits formed over 70 per cent of the electorate.Also, in DMK's calculations, the alliance with the KMK would give it an edge over the AIADMK in the western districts, considered a bastion of Jayalalithaa's party.
The AIADMK claims that the presence of DMDK, said to have a larger following among the Vanniyar community, would neutralise the PMK's effect in the northern belt and its traditional vote bank in the southern and western districts would give a big boost to the combine.
However, the DMK is banking on implementation of several welfare schemes, including the free distribution of colour TVs and medical insurance for the poor, to give them an edge in the rural areas.Schemes to provide potable water in several southern districts has consolidated their position in these districts,it claims.
DMK is also confident that the Congress, which has influence in northern and southern districts of the state, would add to its vote bank in these areas.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the DMK made a clean sweep in the northern districts, despite the absence of PMK in their combine. PMK had contested as part of the AIADMK-combine but drew a blank.
In the southern districts, DMK lost only the Tenkasi seat to the CPI. Even MDMK leader Vaiko had to bite the dust in his home turf Virudunagar by an unknown Congressman Manick Takur.MDMK has opted out of the polls this time peeved at neglect by AIADMK in allocating the number of seats it had asked for.
However, the western districts continue to remain as the bastion of the AIADMK where it won almost all the seats,besides two seats in the Cauvery delta in the Lok Sabha polls.
DMK attributed AIADMK's success due to 'infighting' among the partymen in these areas, besides splitting of votes by KMK, which garnered more thank a lakh of votes contesting alone.Now that the KMK in its front, the DMK feels confident that the region would no longer remain an AIADMK stronghold. PTI
