Tamil Nadu electoral battle will reach a crescendo with the Congress declaring on Sunday that party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi would be campaigning extensively in the State. “Sonia Gandhi and DMK chief Karunanidhi will jointly address campaign rallies. We are working out the dates of the rallies to be jointly addressed by Sonia Gandhi and the DMK chief,” said EVKS Elangovan, president, TNCC. He told reporters that the list of Congress candidates for the May 16 election would be released in the next two days. The TNCC president said that the first rally to be jointly addressed by Sonia and Karunanidhi would be held at Chennai.
Though Elangovan said that Rahul Gandhi too would be touring the State, he did not tell whether the scion of the Congress party would share the podium with DMK’s prince in waiting MK Stalin. The young Gandhi has not shared the stage with Karunanidhi even once in the past. In fact during the 2011 Assembly election, he is reported to have said that old people like VS Achutahnandan of the Kerala CPI(M) should retire from active politics. Both Achuthanandan and Karunanidhi are of same age.
The arrival of Sonia Gandhi for electioneering in Tamil Nadu has enthused the cadres belonging to the Congress and the DMK. Sonia Gandhi had addressed a joint rally with Karunanidhi in Chennai during the 2011 Assembly election. At that time she had exhorted the people of Tamil Nadu to give another term to the DMK-Government so that it could take Tamil Nadu to further heights. But the people voted out the DMK Government and the party has not won any election since then.
“The visit of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will boost the morale of both the Congress and the DMK cadres. The Gandhi family enjoys special place in the hearts of the people of Tamil Nadu,” said CD Meyyappan, senior AICC leader from Tamil Nadu. The Congress, an ally of the DMK, is contesting in 41 constituencies in the May 16 poll.
For Karunanidhi, the news about Sonia Gandhi’s Tamil Nadu visit has come as a major relief since the last three days saw the DMK cadre all over the State revolting against the party leadership over the nomination of candidates not acceptable to them. Khushbu, who quit the DMK following harassment by members of the Karunanidhi clan, will also share the stage with Sonia Gandhi and Karunanidhi.