The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko is all set to contest an Assembly election after a gap of 20 years. The party announced on Saturday that he will fight the polls from Kovilpatti in Thoothukudi district.
Meanwhile, People’s Welfare Front (PWF) sources said VCK founder Thol. Thirumavalavan was keen on taking on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in R.K. Nagar constituency in Chennai whereas CPI State Secretary R. Mutharasan was considering a battle with DMK president M. Karunanidhi in Tiruvarur.
Mr. Vaiko last contested the Assembly polls in 1996, when his party formed a new front with the CPI (M) and fielded candidates in 177 constituencies. Mr. Vaiko lost the Vilathikulam seat by a narrow margin of less than 700 votes to DMK’s K. Ravishankar. Mr. Vaiko has been a three-time Rajya Sabha member. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998 and 1999. In 2014, he lost contesting in Virudhunagar.
On Saturday, VCK general secretary D. Ravikumar took to Facebook to make a small analysis of the recent electoral history of the R.K. Nagar constituency. He pointed out that in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK, of which the VCK was a partner, polled 48,301 votes in the R K Nagar Assembly segment. As per the 2001 Census, he said, there were 38,266 Dalits in the constituency and the work that Mr. Thirumavalavan did during the recent floods had endeared him to the people beyond the community.
Mr. Ravikumar said the notion that the AIADMK would win hands down in R.K. Nagar was an “illusion” and the VCK deciding to contest the seat has created fear in the minds of the ruling party members.
PWF sources said though Mr. Thirumavalavan was keen to take on Ms. Jayalalithaa, a final decision would have to be made collectively.
In the meantime, Mr. Mutharasan told reporters that he would consider contesting against Mr. Karunanidhi in Tiruvarur if the CPI high command wanted him to.
Tamil Maanila Congress president G.K. Vasan and CPI (M) State Secretary G. Ramakrishnan are unlikely to contest.
In the case of the latter, it is a convention in the CPI (M) for a State Secretary to keep away from elections.
The MDMK announced candidates for all the 29 seats it is contesting.
Two of those have been allotted to fringe Tamil nationalist groups.
While K. Veeralakshmi of Tamilar Munnetra Padai will fight from Pallavaram and Nagai Tiruvalluvan in Dharapuram.
Both will contest in the MDMK’s ‘Top’ symbol.
