TN: Karunanidhi confident of DPA's victory

Chennai, May 8: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President M Karunanidhi today exuded confidence that the DMK led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) has a bright chance of emerging victorious in the elections.

Talking to newspersons after casting his vote at a polling station in Gopalapuram near his residence here, the DMK leader said the six-party DPA would win not less than 200 seats and the DMK would secure the required majority to form government on its own.

''I am extremely happy,'' he said answering a question.

On Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's charge that he had planned to intimidate voters by inciting violence in order to win the election by ''hook or by crook,'' the DMK leader said ''they are only the totality of anarchy''.

Asked how he saw this election as he had been witnessing elections right from the days of Independence, Mr Karunanidhi said he did not see this election as a tough or a ''different kind of contest'' as sought to be portrayed.

Even when stalwarts like Rajaji and K Kamaraj were together and the DMK was left alone without its founder C N Annadurai, it had registered an unprecedented victory in the 1971 elections, winning 184 seats, with the only assistance of rationalist leader Periyar E V Ramasamy.

''I don't consider this election as tougher than the 1971 elections,'' he added.

Asked whether the DMK would give prominence to youth if it formed the government, he said the party had given importance to new faces and youth when it selected the candidates.

There was no need to place a demand for checking out the Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK) from the Congress led UPA at the Centre, as ''they themselves are aware of this'', he said when asked whether the DMK would demand the ouster of MDMK from the front.

Along with Mr Karunanidhi, his wife Dayalu Ammal, Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran and Mr Stalin cast their votes at Gopalapuram, coming under Thousand Lights constituency, from where Mr Stalin himself is seeking re-election.

UNI

Related Stories