The Hindu : Front Page : Left to back AIADMK in by-polls

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Friday, Nov 27, 2009
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Left to back AIADMK in by-polls

Special Correspondent

— Photo: V. Ganesan

OFFER OF SUPPORT: CPI leaders R. Nallakannu, C. Mahendran and D. Pandian, briefing the press after meeting AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa in Chennai on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The Left parties have decided to support the AIADMK in the by-elections to Tiruchendur and Vandavasi Assembly constituencies.

AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa invited the State leadership of the Communist Party of India for a meeting on Thursday. Emerging from the meeting, CPI State secretary D. Pandian said the CPI would support the AIADMK candidates since the DMK-Congress combine was responsible for a series of measures that affected farmers and fishermen adversely.

He referred to the sugarcane farmers’ protests in New Delhi and the Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Bill that hampers fishermen as instances of the DMK-Congress combine catering to vested interests. He clarified that there was no alliance in place; this was only an electoral understanding with the AIADMK.

Separately, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary N. Varadarajan said his party would support the AIADMK candidates. But its leaders would not share a platform with Ms. Jayalalithaa during the campaign. “We’ll campaign independently,” he told The Hindu.

Asked about Mr. Pandian’s meeting with Ms. Jayalalithaa, he said the CPI(M) had no plans to meet her. “It is not on our agenda,” he said. His party had taken a few political decisions at the State Committee meeting in Madurai and would hold discussions with Mr. Pandian and other CPI leaders on Friday to get their opinion.

Meanwhile, the PMK, which was part of the AIADMK alliance in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, indicated that it had an open mind about offering its support. The party, which won the Vandavasi seat in 2001 and secured a considerable number of votes in the 1991 and 1996 Assembly elections when it contested alone, has announced that it would not contest the by-polls.

Three persons filed nominations for the Tiruchendur seat and one for Vandavasi on Thursday.

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