Vijaykant, founder of the DMDK (Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam), will captain the five-party People’s Welfare Front (PWF) in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election to be held on May 16. leaders of the other four constituents of the PWF - Vaiko (MDMK), G Ramakrishnan (CPI(M)), R Mutharasan (CPI) and Thol Thiruma Valavan (VCK) - drove down to the DMDK headquarters on Wednesday morning in their swanky SUVs and declared that Vijaykant would be the chief ministerial candidate of the front.
With Vijaykant (63) being fielded as the chief ministerial candidate by the PWF, Tamil Nadu’s voters have the choice of four candidates - DMK’s M Karunanidhi (93), AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa (68) and Anbumani Ramadoss (47) of the Vanniyar - dominated the PMK being the three others - for the top political post in the State. This is the first time in the political history of Tamil Nadu this many leaders are vying for the post of Chief Minister. In the past elections, the fight was between the DMK and the AIADMK.
Vaiko, the convener of the PWF, declared that the alliance, if voted to power, would form the first coalition Government in Tamil Nadu. He said the objective of the front is to provide a transparent and corruption-free Government and governance.
Though there were speculations that the DMDK was likely to align either with the BJP or the DMK, both the parties were silent on the post they would offer to Vijaykant. local media reported that MDMK chief Vaiko in a late night meeting on Monday with Premalatha, the real power behind Vijaykant, agreed to offer the Chief Minister’s post to her husband and the deal was struck.
Saratkumar back in Amma’s lap
The BJP in Tamil Nadu suffered yet another setback on Wednesday with popular film actor and AISMK leader R Saratkumar calling on AIADMK supremo J Jayalalthaa and reviving his party’s alliance with the later.