MADURAI: A day after the release of DMK candidates’ list, the party treasurer M.K. Stalin reached Madurai to begin his election campaign on Friday. Around 500 DMK senior functionaries received Stalin at Madurai airport on Thursday evening. Stalin, who witnessed a huge turnout when he addressed the first in a series of public meetings organised across the state, on May 23 in Madurai, has again preferred to start his final leg of election campaign from the temple city.
He would begin his campaign around 3 pm at Othakadai, and address people at various places in Madurai city and rural areas before moving to Theni in the night. For the next two days, Stalin would intensively campaign in Theni and Dindigul district, said DMK senior leader G. Thalapathi from Madurai. Stalin has purposely selected Madurai for second time because he wanted to consolidate the DMK vote bank in southern districts where party candidates would be directly fighting against AIADMK in many constituencies, said a senior DMK leader.
“Unlike Northern parts of Tamil Nadu, where it is a four-cornered contest between DMK, AIADMK, PMK and DMDK-People’s Welfare Alliance which might split vote share because all parties have strong followers there, the DMK is in better position in the south,” the leader added. Moreover, the DMK and its allied parties Congress, Puthiya Tamizhagam and two Muslim outfits also have stronghold in these districts.
“We are not denying that the AIADMK has strong vote share in the southern districts, but DMK along with its allies can win many seats in the election,” said a senior DMK leader adding the PWA-DMDK alliance has presence only in a few constituencies in southern districts.
On the other hand, though Stalin has successfully eliminated the influence of his elder brother M.K. Alagiri from DMK cadres in the southern districts in the last two-years, he had to make it clear to public that the party is not under the family’s influence. “In 2011 Assembly election, AIADMK leader J.Jayalalithaa had tarnished the image of DMK stating — “Is Madurai a private property of Alagiri’ during her campaign,” recalls a senior leader.
Stalin hits out at Jaya:
DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin hit out at Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa for promising to implement prohibition in Tamil Nadu “during election time” even as her ministers had almost ruled out bringing a dry law just a few months ago. Addressing a public meeting at his Kolathur constituency on Wednesday night, Mr Stalin promised that the DMK would implement all the promises made in the election manifesto released just a few days ago. “Now the Chief Minister says she will implement everything that she promises.
In the Assembly just a few months ago, her ministers ruled out such a measure (prohibition). I raised the issue so many times but was never given a proper reply. But now just during elections, she promises prohibition,” said Mr Stalin, questioning the timing of the promise. DMK chief M. Karunanidhi had five months back promised to implement prohibition in the state knowing the situation in the state. He also said the DMK would implement Lok Ayukta if it is voted to power.
