Will other parties try to fill political vacuum?

Chennai: Will the DMDK, PMK, PWF and BJP be able to capitalise on the political vacuum created by the sudden demise of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa? The May 2016 state assembly election saw multiple fronts contesting the polls claiming to provide alternative for both AIADMK and DMK.

Though the election results made Dravidian majors — AIADMK and DMK — much stronger that before, the death of the charismatic leader of the ruling party has provided an opportunity for these parties to fill up the vacuum.

The ruling AIADMK which contested in all the seats with some minor allies, won in 133 seats while DMK-Congress combine got 98 seats. The other fronts — DMDK-PWA-TMC alliance, PMK and BJP led NDA — that contested the polls with the plank of an alternative failed to win a single seat leading to further strengthening of the bipolar politics.

Far from the expected fractured results, the AIADMK won the elections with an absolute majority on its own while the DMK emerged as a strongest opposition party in the history of the state assembly.

“The slogan of an alternative to AIADMK and DMK will gain more acceptance among the people than ever before following the political vacuum created by the demise of AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa,” said CPI (M) central committee member K. Balakrishnan. Though the DMDK-PWA-TMC front which fought the election with a plank of alternative, did not win a seat in the election, it had got over six per cent votes, he noted. CPI (M) was part of the PWA comprising MDMK, VCK and CPI.

Already political circles are abuzz with the talks of BJP led central government using all the means to pressurise and influence the AIADMK government in the state following the demise of Jayalalithaa.

“The divisive forces should not be allowed to fill up the vacuum. The secular and democratic forces should come forward to occupy the void created by Jayalalithaa’s demise,” VCK general secretary D. Ravikumar said.

A senior DMDK leader said that Vijayakanth led party is the only party after AIADMK and DMK to have a presence across the state even though it had suffered electoral reverses in the recent past.

“Vijayakanth is a popular leader and he will be able to emerge as an alternative force in the state. This is an opportunity for the party to grow,” he said. PMK with its limited presence in the Vanniyar dominated Northern Tamil Nadu would have to expand its base across the state winning over voters from non -Vanniyar community.

However, Prof Dr Ramu Manivannan of Department of Politics and Public Administration, Madras University doesn’t see any short-term gains for the smaller parties following the AIADMK leader’s demise. He said that smaller parties should have to make long-term plans to emerge as an alternative.
“Long distance, they can emerge. That too only after the inevitable split in the AIADMK,” he said, adding that always Tamil Nadu had a strong chief minister controlling the party leadership as well.