Though the two Dravidian majors — the AIADMK and the DMK — are yet to finalise their plans for the Assembly elections which are hardly six months away, Tamil Nadu saw a Third Front taking shape on Monday.
Vaiko, leader of the MDMK, announced on Monday that the People’s Welfare Front, a four-party alliance consisting of the CPI(M), CPI, MDMK and the VCK will face the Assembly election together. Vaiko is the coordinator of the PWF and in all probability would be the Chief Minister if the front manages an absolute majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
“Though the PWF has only four prominent parties as on today, we are confident more secular and democratic forces would join as in the run up to the election,” Vaiko told reporters on Monday. last week saw R Mutharasan, the CPI state secretary, announcing that the PWF would fight the election together.
Vaiko said secular forces like the Vijayakanth-led DMDK and G K Vasan-led TMC are expected to join the PWF shortly. “We had discussions with these leaders in this regard. Since elections are six months away, these parties may take their own time in taking a final decision,” he said.
None of the constituents in the PWF could win a single seat in the last lok Sabha elections. All candidates fielded by the CPI and the CPI(M) had forfeited their security deposits in all the seats they contested. Though Vaiko had campaigned for Narendra Modi in the lok Sabha election, the CPI(M) has rated him “secular” for his decision to break free from the BJP alliance.
The AIADMK, though in campaign mode, is yet to announce any plans about possible allies. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who is working from Kodanadu retreat in the Western Ghats has asked party cadre to work for winning all the 234 seats. The DMK too has not decided on its allies though the grapevine is that the party would sail with the Congress in the assembly election.
Vaiko dashed whatever hopes the DMK had about an alliance with the MDMK. “Ours will be a front sans the AIADMK, the DMK, the BJP and the Congress,” he said in Monday’s press briefing.
Though the PMK had announced that Anbumani Ramadoss, son of party founder Ramadoss would be the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Vanniayar dominated outfit, no declaration has been made by the party leadership about the possible partners. Ni poliotical parties has come forward to align with the PMK. Ramadoss has made it clear that the PMK would not have any kind of alliance with the AIADMK or the DMK.