Vaiko walks out of AIADMK; DMDK largesse reason for irk?

Chennai, Mar 20: After AIADMK Chief Jayalalithaa's defiant stand and a snub to her allies, it is pay back time. MDMK has decided to pull the plug from the AIADMK alliance and has also decided to boycott the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry polls. A long-term ally of Jaya's party, the effects of this move can spell trouble for AIADMK in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections.

After frantic discussions that continued till late last night, MDMK led by popular leader Vaiko were offered 12 seats against the demand for 21 seats. Vaiko has been quoted as saying, "AIADMK's approach towards MDMK has hurt our cadres." The MDMK accounts for a 4.5 per cent vote share in Tamil Nadu.

Even when last minute negotiations were on last night with AIADMK allies, DMDK and MDMK, the talks were largely inconclusive. While Jaya has decided to go ahead with her partnership with the Left and other smaller regional parties like the Puthiya Thamizhagam, the others in the possible alliance are still smarting for the royal snub meted out to them when she released the candidate's list recently.

The rebuff meted out to the MDMK was especially felt since they had partnered with Jaya for long and had contested from 35 constituencies together with AIADMK last elections. This time around the earlier offer of a single-digit seat offer was largely seen as a cold-shoulder approach. The fallout in the alliance will have a damaging impact on AIADMK who has a strong contender to deal with in DMK.

Quashing rumours of a possible third front in the offing, Jayalalithaa has managed to woo Captain Vijaykanth by offering 41 seats to DMDK. This largesse has proved hazardous with Vaiko's party having to bear the brunt of Jaya's large-bigheartedness along with the CPI(M) and CPI who had to concede a seat each.

OneIndia News