Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam’s (DMDK) poll alliances will be finalised once its chief ‘Captain’ Vijayakant is back from the US, said LK Sudhish, the Deputy General Secretary of the party. According to news reports, the announcement regarding the electoral alliance can be expected by the end of February. LK Sudhish said that the party has been involved in talks with various political parties including the BJP for the upcoming Parliamentary polls. He, however, refused to comment on whether AIADMK was part of this alliance.
As Lok Sabha polls are approaching, Tamil Nadu’s political parties are in the final stages of fixing electoral alliances with the national and other regional parties. While DMK is expected to ally with Congress the VCK, Left parties and the MDMK, the AIADMK is in talks with the BJP and others, although alliances are yet to be formally sealed.
DMDK’s founder Vijayakant has been away from politics for a while now due to health issues. In October, Vijayakant’s wife Premalatha was elected as the treasurer of the party. Speaking to reporters after her appointment as Treasurer, Premalatha said that Vijayakant will be flown abroad for treatment. She had also added that Tamil Nadu will witness a golden rule led by Vijayakant in the near future.
Founded in 2005, DMDK has had a rollercoaster ride in the electoral space. While in the 2006 Assembly polls, Vijayakant managed to win one seat, in the 2011 Assembly polls, DMDK went into an alliance with AIADMK, winning 29 seats out of the 41 seats it contested. However, the alliance fell apart following the elections, and the DMDK suffered multiple blows as nine MLAs defected to the ruling camp.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, the DMDK was part of the rainbow alliance that included the BJP, PMK, MDMK but drew a blank. In the 2016 Assembly polls, Vijayakant joined the People’s Welfare Front comprising of Left parties, VCK, and the MDMK. However, they were routed in the polls.
Source: The News Minute