'Normal for people to vote for ruling party in civic polls'

Chennai, Oct 22: Despite a not-so-impressive show in the just concluded civic polls, DMDK and PMK on Saturday put up a brave face, saying people normally vote for the ruling party in the civic polls.

"It is normal for the ruling party to win local body polls. People are justified in believing that only if they vote for the ruling party will the government's welfare schemes reach them. It is natural for them to place their faith on the present government, which is only five months old," DMDK founder Vijayakant said in a statement here.

Holding that DMDK had charted its own course in Tamil Nadu polity, he claimed that his party had made good in-roads in many parts of the state.

"A farmer does not give up because crops failed once. Similarly DMDK will continue to work for the poor," the former ally of AIADMK who parted ways following failure of seat sharing talks for the civic polls, said.

Ramadoss, whose party did not win any of the 10 corporations, held that the number of seats won by his party, numbering around 360 till reports last came in, showed that PMK "could not be ignored."

"Dravidian parties (DMK and AIADMK) spent money and offered many freebies," he alleged in a statement adding State Election Commission (SEC) also favoured the ruling party.

There was a "new trend," of votes being 'purchased' which had led to elections becoming a gamble, he alleged.

"PMK will take efforts to establish an intellectual society sans such practices," he said.

PTI