DMK hopeful of DMDK joining alliance for TN polls

Chennai, Mar 8: DMK President M Karunanidhi on Tuesday expressed confidence that Vijayakanth-led DMDK will join their coalition for May 16 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls and rejected suggestions of any stalemate in finalising the tie-up.

Speaking to reporters at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam here, Karunanidhi chose to make cryptic remarks when asked if the DMK-DMDK alliance "had been finalised."

Quoting a Tamil saying which refers to efforts fructifying in a particular initiative, Karunanidhi said things were proceeding smoothly with DMDK. "Definitely there is confidence," he said when asked if DMDK, actively being pursued also by BJP and the four-party People's Welfare Front (PWF), will join the DMK-Congress combine.

Karunanidhi denied there was any stalemate in his party striking an electoral pact with DMDK but declined to elaborate. He said he had not invited any other party to join the DMK-led alliance.

The Congress had last month firmed up its electoral pact with DMK and had left the job of bringing DMDK to the alliance with the Karunanidhi-led party. The DMK had walked out of the UPA in 2013 after being a key constituent for nine years citing the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

The party is facing a make or break elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly this year. The DMK had lost all elections since 2011 to arch rival AIADMK and had drawn a blank in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Karunanidhi, who along with his son and party Treasurer Stalin had conducted "interview" of ticket aspirants for 12 days starting February 22, said 4,433 persons had appeared for it. The party had received Rs 12.37 crore by way of "application cost", he added.

PTI