DMDK's Muslim candidate may play spoilsport for DMK

Chennai: The DMK will leave no stone unturned to win the bypolls in Thanjavur, considered as its citadel, since party chief M. Karunanidhi won a prestigious battle in 1962. But, the presence of a Muslim candidate, fielded by the DMDK could be a cause of worry for the Dravidian party, which banks on the minority votes in the historic town, once the capital of Chola empire.

Thanajvur is a hot bed of political activities, with the Congress, Communists and Dravidian parties taking roots even before independence. The DMK has won it eight times, while the AIADMK was successful only for two times.

After 1962, the seat was won by the DMK in 1971. Even when AIADMK under MGR’s leadership captured power in 1977 and 1980, DMK held on to the constituency.

The DMK lost Thanjavur by a margin of one per cent votes in 1984, following a double sympathy wave when MGR was seriously ill and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

In 1989, the DMK fielded a Muslim candidate S.N.M. Ubayathullah and bagged the constituency again. He won the seat consecutively for three times in 1996, 2001 and 2006.

For the AIADMK, veteran leader of the Dravidian movement S.D.Somasundaram won from Thanjavur in 1991, in the aftermath of a sympathy wave following former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. The only other time the AIADMK had won it was in the 2011 Assembly polls.

Keenly aware that the prospects for the DMK is the highest in Thanjavur, among the three seats going for bypolls. party treasurer M.K. Stalin is directly supervising the bypoll works. The DMK has also brought former minister K.N. Nehru with years of electioneering experience for campaign works. Besides, all the functionaries from the entire delta districts would be in Thanjavur to take on the ruling party.

DMDK leader Vijayakanth has caused a flutter by fielding a Muslim candidate V. Abdullah Sait, who is banking on his community votes, since the actor's party is no more a force to reckon with. The few thousand votes, the DMDK candidate is likely to secure is a major concern for the DMK, which too is relying on minority votes to pull out an upset victory in Thanjavur.

The DMK is planning to utilise the campaign of its allies, the IUML and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, to avoid a split in minority votes. The party too will cite the presence of BJP in the race and work for a consolidation of minority votes in favour of the DMK. The DMK's prospects hinges on its ability to restrict Vijayakanth's nominee from making inroads into minority votes.