Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi on Sunday hinted that his party was not averse to working with other parties to avoid opposition votes getting split in a multi-cornered contest for the Sankarankoil Assembly seat.
When asked by reporters here whether the fielding of candidates individually by various parties would split the votes and go in favour of the ruling party, Mr. Karunanidhi said, “If the other parties give a thought to the possibility, we too will think about it and arrive at a unanimous decision.”
The DMK has already named J. Jawahar Suryakumar, a lawyer, as its candidate. The ruling AIADMK has nominated S. Muthuselvi, Sankarankoil municipality chairperson. As the MDMK has also announced its candidate and the DMDK is also likely to enter the fray, the by-poll is expected to witness a multi-cornered contest.
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Mr. Karunanidhi said people's issues such as the power cut and “atrocities” of the ruling party would be the main campaign plank of the DMK. The government machinery was being misused in favour of the ruling party, he charged. Mr. Karunanidhi, who was in the city to attend the wedding of son of former Minister K.N. Nehru, said he was yet to decide on his campaign schedule.
“I do not believe in dramas,” he quipped, when asked to comment on the deposition by Ms. Sasikala, former aide of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, in the Bangalore Special Court in the ‘disproportionate assets' case faced by them.
On the killing of Tamil Nadu fishermen by marines of an Italian ship off the Kerala coast, Mr. Karunanidhi hoped that the Centre would initiate appropriate action.
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