Vijayakant-led DMDK and Vaiko’s MDMK put up a pathetic show in the just-concluded Assembly polls in Puducherry.
The DMDK got only 0.11 per cent with 850 votes from six constituencies it contested. After launching the party in 2005, the DMDK faced the Assembly polls for the first time in the following year contesting 27 seats on its own in the Union Territory. Though it had not won any seat, the party garnered 8.37 per cent of votes in the 2006 Assembly polls.
During the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, DMDK candidate Asana came third with 56,000 votes. And in the 2011 Assembly polls, it lost the lone seat which was allotted to the AINRC-AIADMK combine. Among the constituents of the People’s Welfare Front, MDMK candidates also put up a poor show securing only 755 votes in five constituencies. The vote share of MDMK is 0.09 per cent.
MDMK executive committee president A. Chandrasekaran said, “We went to the campaign with mere handbills containing attractive schemes. But, others went with money and that won them the polls. There is no major loss to us.”
A Revolutionary Socialist Party candidate who contested in a constituency secured only 63 votes. Likewise, the Communist Party of India (M-L) got 219 votes.
Among recognised parties at the national level, the Bhaujan Samaj Party was got 579 votes while the Janata Dal (United) got 51 votes.
Another notable aspect was that T. Velmurugan’s Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi secured 187 votes.
Contesting in 28 constituencies, candidates of the Pattali Makkal Katchi and Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi had to lose deposit.
Similarly, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi candidates also lost deposit in all the seven constituencies seats they contested.
The DMDK got
only 850 votes from the six constituencies
it contested