Chennai: Pushed to the wall in the wake of his party's failure to renew electoral pact with DMK in Tamil Nadu, Congress leader and Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan today ruled himself out of the April 24 Lok Sabha polls.
Vasan, who only yesterday expressed his dismay over Congress delaying announcement on its poll strategy for Tamil Nadu, was the first leader to opt out of contest.
“I am not contesting this election. I am one of the main campaigners who wants to ensure the victory of Congress candidates by touring all the 39 seats in the state”, Vasan whose effort to lure DMDK into Congress alliance failed to fructify told a press conference here.
Asked why no party was willing to forge an electoral tie-up with Congress and whether it was left behind in the race, he described alliances forged for the coming Lok Sabha polls in various parts of the country including Tamil Nadu as “alliance of opportunism.”
“This election has been an election of opportunism,” he said, adding those going by ‘certain waves as portrayed in the media' will realise the truth after the polls.