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Tamil Nadu warming up for civic elections
Apart from the coming festivals, Tamil Nadu is warming up for a slew of October polls — Tiruchirapalli (West) Legislature by-election and local body polls. While the AIADMK and the DMK have locked horns over Tiruchi West, the more important for the parties here are the local body polls, which will see a four-cornered contest.
AIADMK’s M Paranjothi and a former DMK Minister and now in jail on land grabbing charges, KN Nehru, will contest the by-election. In the April 13 election, Nehru had lost to Mariam Pitchai of the AIADMK, who later died in an accident necessitating the by-election. Now, Nehru takes on another AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa-loyalist Paranjothi to fight for the seat on October 13.
Paranjothi had given up his Srirangam segment to Jayalalithaa during the Assembly elections. DMK treasurer and former Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister MK Stalin filed nomination for Nehru. Both candidates filed their nominations on Tuesday. Scrutiny would take place on Thursday.
But the real drama seems to be in the local body polls scheduled for October 17 and 19. DMK earlier this month announced that it would contest alone. Having received a drubbing in the Assembly polls, the party has taken up the local polls as a prestige issue.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi has been very critical of the State Election Commission, alleging that it had favoured the ruling AIADMK. He even accused his Opposition of poll violations and charged that the SEC was ignoring the violations. He has threatened that if the SEC does not ensure “free and fair” election, then “we will take legal steps”.
Free from the DMK alliance, the State Congress is all set to release the list of candidates for the Mayoral posts and other local body posts. A coordination committee has been set up, but as usual delays due to factional-competition haunt the party. Full list is expected by Wednesday, according to TNCC president KV Thangkabalu.
But the real surprise has been in the breakup in the ruling alliance. Jayalalithaa had announced party candidates for all the Mayoral posts. Peeved by this the DMDK and the Left parties came out to form a separate alliance. On Tuesday, DMDK allotted two Mayoral seats and 25 other local body seats to the CPI (M).
However, the CPI has been dithering and lured by the AIADMK had opened negotiations with the AIADMK. “We hope the CPI will join us. We will make all efforts to bring them in,” CPI (M) State secretary G Ramakrishnan said on Tuesday. He also said that his party would continue efforts to rope in more parties to create a non-AIADMK, non-DMK, non-Congress and non-BJP grouping in Tamil Nadu politics.
Ironically, even as CPI is trying to negotiate with the AIADMK, the party in a statement on Tuesday announced alliance with some caste and religion-based smaller parties.
On Monday, DMDK leader and actor turned politician Vijayakanth blamed Jayalalithaa’s “unilateral” announcement of candidates. “We had aided AIADMK in coming to power after the April 13 polls and have been working as a constructive Opposition since then,” Vijayakanth reasoned.
Even Vijayakanth has stressed on a non-DMK and a non-AIADMK alliance and making the new alliance stronger.
AIADMK’s M Paranjothi and a former DMK Minister and now in jail on land grabbing charges, KN Nehru, will contest the by-election. In the April 13 election, Nehru had lost to Mariam Pitchai of the AIADMK, who later died in an accident necessitating the by-election. Now, Nehru takes on another AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa-loyalist Paranjothi to fight for the seat on October 13.
Paranjothi had given up his Srirangam segment to Jayalalithaa during the Assembly elections. DMK treasurer and former Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister MK Stalin filed nomination for Nehru. Both candidates filed their nominations on Tuesday. Scrutiny would take place on Thursday.
But the real drama seems to be in the local body polls scheduled for October 17 and 19. DMK earlier this month announced that it would contest alone. Having received a drubbing in the Assembly polls, the party has taken up the local polls as a prestige issue.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi has been very critical of the State Election Commission, alleging that it had favoured the ruling AIADMK. He even accused his Opposition of poll violations and charged that the SEC was ignoring the violations. He has threatened that if the SEC does not ensure “free and fair” election, then “we will take legal steps”.
Free from the DMK alliance, the State Congress is all set to release the list of candidates for the Mayoral posts and other local body posts. A coordination committee has been set up, but as usual delays due to factional-competition haunt the party. Full list is expected by Wednesday, according to TNCC president KV Thangkabalu.
But the real surprise has been in the breakup in the ruling alliance. Jayalalithaa had announced party candidates for all the Mayoral posts. Peeved by this the DMDK and the Left parties came out to form a separate alliance. On Tuesday, DMDK allotted two Mayoral seats and 25 other local body seats to the CPI (M).
However, the CPI has been dithering and lured by the AIADMK had opened negotiations with the AIADMK. “We hope the CPI will join us. We will make all efforts to bring them in,” CPI (M) State secretary G Ramakrishnan said on Tuesday. He also said that his party would continue efforts to rope in more parties to create a non-AIADMK, non-DMK, non-Congress and non-BJP grouping in Tamil Nadu politics.
Ironically, even as CPI is trying to negotiate with the AIADMK, the party in a statement on Tuesday announced alliance with some caste and religion-based smaller parties.
On Monday, DMDK leader and actor turned politician Vijayakanth blamed Jayalalithaa’s “unilateral” announcement of candidates. “We had aided AIADMK in coming to power after the April 13 polls and have been working as a constructive Opposition since then,” Vijayakanth reasoned.
Even Vijayakanth has stressed on a non-DMK and a non-AIADMK alliance and making the new alliance stronger.
