Upset over alliance DMDK men join DMK

Frustrated by Vijayakanth’s decision to ally with the People’s Welfare Front (PWF), thousands of DMDK workers have been switching sides to the DMK with the party’s Chennai strongman the recent to exit the party.

“Our leader (Vijayakanth) was keen to defeat the AIADMK by joining hands with the DMK. But, we were surprised by his decision to join PWF,” DMDK Chennai district secretary Yuvaraj, adding there was no point in working for DMDK’s victory half-heartedly.

Yuvaraj said nearly 5000 DMDK party men, including its office bearers, have been joining the DMK at its Chennai headquarters and in other districts.

DMDK Omalur taluk secretary Shanmugam also joined the DMK with his supporters besides Yuvaraj. After asserting that it would go it alone in the May 16 polls, Vijayakanth caused a surprise on March 23 by joining forces with PWF consisting of MDMK, VCK, CPI and CPI(M).

The decision not to join the DMK-led alliance reportedly caused widespread resentment among senior party functionaries.

"At least Vijayakanth should have stuck to his earlier decision for going it alone. Now, it is too late,” said a senior functionary K Madhivanan who also switched sides to the DMK.

On Sunday, DMDK Tiruchirapalli district leader Amjad Ahmed joined the DMK with 1,500 cadres in the presence of senior DMK leader KN Nehru.

Similar “shifting” have been taking place across the state since the DMK, unhappy with Vijayakanth’s decision, has reportedly been targeting his party’s district secretaries and MLAs.

DMDK, however, said it was not worried about cadres joining other parties.

Congress, DMK bargain hard
With differences cropping up between DMK and Congress, the latter has been making veiled threats to quit the alliance if the number of seats are not to its expectations, DHNS reports from Chennai. Recent seat-sharing negotiations between the parties have been inconclusive, since the Congress has been demanding more than sixty seats, while the DMK is only willing to part with a little more than 30.

For its part, the DMK has also warned that it would approach the GK Vasan-led TMC for an alliance, should Congress continue to demand more seats.

Former union minister Vasan quit Congress and revived his father’s Tamil Manila Congress. “We have several options,” senior DMK functionary P Venkatesan said “If Congress is obstinate, we would consider tie-up with TMC or Pattali Makkal Katchi which had allied with us in the past,” he added. TMC sources, on the other hand, said it is keen to have a tie-up with the ruling AIADMK, since DMK passed it by and struck a deal with Congress.