The Congress has begun initial parleys with its key alliance partner Dravida Munnetra Kazahaga to fine-tune the party’s campaign strategy for the by-election in Nellithope seat from where Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy is set to seek his electoral mandate.
Mr. Narayanasamy, Minister for Public Works A. Namassivayam, who is also the president of the Pradesh Congress Committee, Ministers and party legislators on Sunday, held parleys with DMK delegation led by the former Chief Minister R. V Janakiraman, DMK legislator R. Siva and senior members of the Dravidian party to work out the nitty gritty of the election campaign.
The roping in of its alliance partner to chalk out the campaign strategy even at the nascent stage is based on the considered view among political circles the influence a section of DMK leaders still manages to have in the constituency. The Nellithope constituency was represented by Mr. Janakiraman from 1985 to 2006. He came second in the 2006 and 2011 elections when the party lost to AIADMK nominee.
Furthermore, Mr. Siva, who represents the adjacent Orleanpet Assembly segment, has his pockets of influence in the Nellithope seat. “The track record of the Congress in Nellithope is not something that puts the party on a high pedestal. The party has waited for almost 32 years to bring the seat under its fold. Before John Kumar, who vacated the seat for the Chief Minister, the party represented the Assembly segment in 1974. So we also need to bank on DMK members for a comfortable win in the by-election,” a party functionary told The Hindu .
Mr. Narayanasamy, while speaking at the Congress-DMK meeting, has exuded the confidence of registering an impressive performance by putting up a united fight. He urged the PCC chief to form ward-level committees comprising members of Congress-DMK and other partners to take out a synchronised campaign.
