With the filing of nomination papers for the May 16 Assembly election coming to a close on Friday, campaign fever peaked in Tamil Nadu with all fronts claiming that they would emerge as the ultimate winner. MK Stalin, the DMK’s prince-in-waiting, told reporters at Chennai on Friday that his party and allies would sweep all the 234 seats at stake. But he started wavering when the name of Jayalalithaa cropped up. “Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will find it difficult to win in R K Nagar,” said the 63-year-old president of the youth wing of the DMK.
Elsewhere in the State, Muthuvel Karunanidhi, Stalin’s illustrious president, was so enthused by a crowd turnout at Villupuram on Thursday night that he declared he would be the Chief Minister of the State in the eventuality of the DMK returning to power. “I am 93 years old and even if I turn 103 I will dedicate myself to the people as it is my duty to protect them. Hence I categorically assure you that my first signature will be for bringing prohibition in the State if I were to be chosen as Chief Minister again,” declared Karunanidhi while addressing the campaign rally at Villupuram.
The announcement has set at rest whatever hopes the Stalin camp had about their Thalapathy (as Stalin is addressed by the cadre) becoming the Chief Minister after the election. Karunanidhi told the youth present in the rally that he had great hope from the youth, the future pillars of the country. “Youth should rise and energise others so that the society and country can rise up with them,” said Karunanidhi, ostensibly targeting Stalin and his acolytes.
What caught the people’s attention was an ace fired by AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Friday. In a communique to the party cadre, Jayalalithaa asked them to go for the giant kill and win all 234 seats. “This is the first time in the history of the Tamil Nadu the “Two leaves” symbol is contesting in all the 234 constituencies. We should sweep the election to bring glory to the memory of MG Ramachandran, the AIADMK founder. The year 2017 is the birth centenary year of MGR and it is important for us to have a Government led by the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu during this great occasion,” said Jayalalithaa in her letter to the cadre.
Even as the campaign entered the second round, there is no visible anti-incumbency factor against the reigning AIADMK Government or a wave in favour of the DMK. The Tamil TV channels are jam-packed with commercials promoting the father-son duo of Karunanidhi and Stalin who promise the electorate waiving of farm and education loans and more jobs.
While the DMK and other formations are complaining about the flow of money in Tamil Nadu allegedly at the instance of the AIADMK, the latter made a scathing attack on the DMK for its effort to tarnish the image of Jayalalithaa and her Government. In a complaint to the Election Commission of India, the AIADMK legal wing secretary Selvaraj Diwakar, said the trade union wing of the DMK in the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company, the State owned power producer and distributor, was sabotaging power supply in Chennai city with the intention of damaging the reputation of Jayalalithaa and her Government. “There are no reasons for power failure which has been haunting Chennai city for the last one week. We have found that this is the handiwork of the DMK-led trade union workers to create bad name in the minds of the people,” Diwakar told The Pioneer.
Differences have cropped in the People’s Welfare Front as the DMDK stayed out of the function held on Thursday to release the joint manifesto of the four constituents which form the front. While leaders of the MDMK, CPI, CPI(M) and VCK were present during the releasing of the joint manifesto, the DMDK and the Tamil Manila Congress leaders were conspicuous by their absence.
