After its seat-sharing talks with the AIADMK failed, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, DMDK, today called off its alliance with the AIADMK after the seat-sharing talks between the two parties did not end well. The two parties had three rounds of talks and saw the DMDK demanding 41 seats for its party. However, according to sources, the AIADMK was not willing to give more than 12 seats to the party led by actor-turned-politician Vijayakant.
Vijayakant’s brother-in-law and DMDK leader LK Sudhish said, “AIADMK will definitely fail & they will lose even their deposit. They refused to allot numbers we sought even after 3 rounds of talk.”
DMDK had demanded that they be given 41 seats, and as negotiations began, the DMDK demanded that they be given seats equal to that of the PMK which got 23 seats from the BJP. But the AIADMK was not ready to agree with the demand.
Meanwhile, AIADMK minister, D Jayakumar said, “Three rounds of talks were done with DMDK, and then suddenly they had an executive meeting and decided to quit our alliance. This is such an unfortunate move by DMDK. This will be a huge loss for DMDK.”
So far the BJP has sealed its seat-sharing agreement with BJP and PMK who have been given 20 and 23 seats respectively.
The decision of the DMDK was made at a party meeting called by Vijayakanth. An official statement later said, “The DMDK quits the AIADMK-BJP alliance based on the unanimous decision at the district secretaries’ meeting.”
Soon after, DMDK leaders, including Vijayakanth’s brother in law L K Sudheesh and son Vijaya Prabhakaran, attacked the AIADMK, saying its candidates, led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, would lose their deposits in the upcoming polls.
Talking to media personnel, Sudheesh said that “it is Deepavali” for all of them today. “The AIADMK will forfeit deposits in all the constituencies. K P Munusamy (senior AIADMK leader) there was working as the sleeper cell of PMK,” Sudheesh claimed. The PMK, another ally of AIADMK-BJP alliance, recently sealed its seat-sharing deal, and has been allotted some seats the DMDK wanted.
While DMDK was part of a third front in the 2016 polls along with Left and Dalit parties, it had helped AIADMK win by splitting opposition votes. They struck an alliance with AIADMK and BJP ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and this time, the party wanted a minimum of 25 seats.
While DMDK cadres celebrated the decision to quit the alliance with crackers at their party headquarters in Chennai, Vijaya Prabhakaran addressed a gathering of party workers at Panruti near Cuddalore. In his first such public appearance before a charged crowd at an auditorium, Prabhakaran attacked CM Palaniswami.
“We are starting the game here. Do not even think that we will be part of an alliance hereafter. Captain (Vijayakanth) has always been a giver, he was never at the receiving end,” Prabhakaran said.
“If you are the bigger party, you take 170 or 180 seats. But who are you to dictate the deserving number of seats for the second largest party? If you can not give the number of seats we demand, people will give you a fitting reply. What Edappadi? Are you a Chief Minister? You are going to forfeit the deposit at Edappadi constituency. I am speaking for the people. If I speak anything more, it would lead to riots,” he said.
“You have seen Vijayakanth and Premalatha. Now you will see Vijaya Prabhakaran. People may ridicule me as a little kid. Yes, I am a kid but a decent kid,” Prabhakaran said, promising the gathering that he would be there to lead the party.
