DMDK suffers setback by ending fourth in poll race

Chennai: After snapping its ties with the People’s Welfare Alliance, DMDK contested the election to three Assembly seats on its own hoping to emerge again as “kingmaker” in the state politics but ended up getting less votes than BJP.

When the election results for the three Assembly seats — Thanjavur, Aravakurichi and Thirupparankundram was declared on Tuesday, DMDK ended up in the fourth position behind BJP in all the three seats and was polled less than NOTA in two seats.

DMDK has polled 4,105 votes in Thirupparankundram constituency while it has got 1,513 votes and 1,534 votes in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur seats where it had polled less than NOTA.

DMDK chief Vijayakanth and his wife Premalatha campaigned for their party candidates hitting out at their arch rivals ruling AIADMK and DMK and explained their decision to breakup with the PWA. He refused to seek the support of his former allies PWA who decided to boycott the polls. The actor was hoping to emerge again as decisive force in the state but his mission failed miserably by finishing behind BJP.

The DMDK has been witnessing a steady decline in its vote share from whooping 10 per cent in 2009 Lok Sabha polls to 2.5 per cent in May Assembly election this year and it has now gone further down to 1.3 per cent. Vijayakanth's party failed miserable loss would lead to next round of exit of second rung leaders from the party.

Mr Vijayakanth, in a statement here, said that the ruling party winning the bypoll has become an unwritten rule. “In all the bypolls held during the previous DMK rule, AIADMK had lost all of them. Similarly DMK has lost in all the bypolls held in this AIADMK rule. The ruling Congress winning the Nelithope bypolls in Puducherry is yet another example. So we need not bother about the victory they got through money power and official machinery,” he said. Stating that the victory and loss are part and parcel of the life, he said that let us continue the struggle for the public good without minding about the election results.

Political commentator Gnani says that DMDK could reinvent itself if it could do course correction. “In electoral politics, you cannot predict a future of a party with an election result. Big party like DMK had only one MLA and all others lost in the polls. They bounced back and came to power in the state. Leaders of the DMDK how they are making course correction is important for the revival of the party. If they failed to do it, they are doomed,” he told DC. One have to wait and see what course correct does Vijayakanth makes to revive his political fortune.