Puducherry polls 2016: PWF finalises seat-sharing

Puducherry, April 14: The People's Welfare Front (PWF), which claims itself to be the third front in May 16 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, on Wednesday reached a seat-sharing agreement.
Assembly Polls 2016; PWF-DMDK-TMC alliance finalises seats in TN

While four seats were given to Vijaykanth's DMDK, the Left parties got 12 seats (eight for the CPI and four for the CPI(M)) and the VCK and MDMK were allotted seven and four seats, respectively. One seat was given to the Revolutionary Socialist Party of (RSP). [Top contests of 2016]

Five political parties, namely, the CPI, CPI(M), MDMK, VCK and the RSP floated the PWF alliance last October. Vijaykanth's DMDK joined the PWF in Tamil Nadu last month despite preferring to go alone initially and with that development, the equation among the constituent parties changed in the Union Territory.

PWF convenor R Viswanathan, CPI secretary, said the local unit of the DMDK would consult its leadership in Chennai before letting its decision known. In Tamil Nadu, the DMDK is contesting the maximum number of seats from the PWF (104) and its supremo Vijaykanth has been projected as its chief ministerial candidate.

The DMDK also faced its share of problems in Tamil Nadu after joining the PWF as some leaders expressed discontent over the issue and floated a breakaway faction called MDMDK after getting expelled fom the DMDK. They have joined the DMK-fold for the Tamil Nadu elections.

The PWF will also support the Left Democratic Front's Independent candidate V Ramachandran in Mahe and another Independent candidate in Yanam.

The constituencies from where the parties will fight are yet to be finalised. Thirty seats of Puducherry Assembly will go to polls on May 16. In 2011, the All India NR Congress won 15 seats in Puduchhery elections while the Congress won seven. The AIADMK won five and the DMK two. One seat went to an Independent.

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