With the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu looming in the coming months, parties in the State are readying themselves for the long haul in the run-up to the elections.
The DMK announced a nine-member manifesto committee to draft the election manifesto, while the Left parties, including others, have formed the People's Welfare Front - the first alliance to emerge for the 2016 elections.
Meanwhile, men in plainclothes have begun making preliminary enquiries on the outcome of the polls. Sleuths of the Central and State intelligence agencies are gearing for an elaborate but discreet exercise of testing the pulse of Tamil Nadu’s voters.
>Unequal partners in a political marriage
A coalition government remains a distant dream in Tamil Nadu. While smaller parties have been aspiring for a share in the power pie, the Dravidian parties have consistently been averse to entertaining the demand.
>Centre appoints new Deputy Election Commissioner
Meanwhile, the Election Commission will appoint the next CEO who would have the tough and arduous task of conducting of 2016 Assembly elections in the State.
> From IQ to poll quotient, their task is cut out
Sleuths of intelligence agencies are busy gathering inputs on issues related to election.
>TN parties get into election mode
DMK forms manifesto committee, Left parties form ‘people’s welfare front’.
At the fore front
AIADMK
It is not clear whether the BJP will join the AIADMK or go with others. It may even form its own front. > Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) of G.K. Vasan may be interested in joining the AIADMK front.
> Full coverage of AIADMK's poll preparations »DMK
The party is desperately wooing the Congress and actor Vijayakant's Dravida Murpokku Desiya Kazhagam (DMDK).
> Full coverage of DMK's poll preparations »Congress
The days of a friendly partner are over. We will join hands with parties which believe in secularism and which would accept imposition of prohibition in the State, said TNCC president E.V.K.S. Elangovan in an interview.
> Full coverage of Congress' poll preparations »BJP
The BJP has moved from being at the helm of a strong alliance that dethroned the DMK from second position to a party staring at isolation yet again. Its current scenario looks precarious.National General Secretary in-charge of Tamil Nadu, P. Muralidhar Rao has ruled out alliance with AIADMK.
> Full coverage of BJP's poll preparations »PMK
It seeks to form an front alternative to the Dravidian parties and has nominated Anbumani Ramadoss as its Chief Ministerial candidate. The reality though is that the party’s individual vote share is grossly inadequate to dislodge either of the bigger Dravidian parties and having not fully emerged from its Vanniyar cocoon, the PMK may not easily find wider appeal.
> Full coverage of PMK's poll preparations »DMDK
The DMDK’s continuing attack on both the DMK and the ruling AIADMK could well be a strategy to up its ante while forging electoral alliances ahead of next year’s Assembly polls, feel observers. With a vote share of 5.1 per cent, the DMDK could hardly make a major impact on its own in winning seats. The party is yet to show any serious intent on initiating and leading an alternate front.
>Full coverage of DMDK's poll preparations »People's Welfare Front
The PWF, comprising CPI (M), CPI, MDMK, and Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi, formally declared an electoral alliance on November 03. MDMK general secretary Vaiko has been nominated as the Front's coordinator.
> Full coverage of PWF's poll preparations »
