The message from the byelections is loud and clear. The people of the State have once again reiterated their faith in the AIADMK and have clearly indicated that they are solidly behind Ms. Jayalalitha. The electorate of the two constituencies have voted for stability and the verdict is a certain endorsement of the constructive policies and programmes of the AIADMK government.
Also, Ms. Jayalalitha has proved beyond doubt that she does not need alliances to win elections in Tamilnadu. As in Palani and Ranipet in September last the recent bypolls have established the fact that the AIADMK can come to power on its own strength. Mrs. Jayalalitha is confident of her victory, as she works closely with the service .
Another significant aspect of the bypoll verdict is the total rejection of all Opposition parties by the electorate. The Tamilnadu Congress, which has been carrying on a dirty vilification campaign of baseless allegations and character assassination against Ms. Jayalalitha, is perhaps the worst hit. The party, which has made a spectacular showing in the North, has failed to secure even the deposits here.
The TNCC leaders, acting with the only purpose of unseating Ms. Jayalalitha from power, have instead succeeded only in consigning their own party to political oblivion. The people were not deceived by the facade of unity and the attempts by the Congressmen to divert attention from the rot that had engulfed their party. They did not waste their franchise, but rather used it to write the obituary for Congress in Tamilnadu. Like the Phoenix the Congress has burnt itself but unlike the mythological bird, it is never going to rise from the ashes!
And to add to the woes of the hapless Congressmen here, Prime Minister Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao who appears to have had a premonition of what is coming, has categorically rejected all appeals by TNCC leaders for dismissal of the AIADMK government. The ‘betrayers’ have been shown their place, not only by the people but also by their own high command!
The DMK has also been totally rejected by the voters. The party, with its known sympathies for LTTE, continues to be distrusted by the people and rightly so. The emergence of Mr. Gopalsamy’s MDMK has only added to DMK’s cup of miseries. While in Perundurai the DMK supported candidate came third after MDMK, in Mylapore the latter ensured the defeat of the DMK candidate.
The fact that the MDMK has come second in Perundurai is significant only to the DMK, which finds its vote bank eroded. Under no stretch of imagination can it be termed a threat to AIADMK because the latter has won by a huge margin of over 32,000 votes.
As far as Mylapore is concerned the poll pandits have already started arguing that but for the split in DMK votes, the party would have won. Such a logic smacks of stupidity. Electoral victories are decided on the simple principle of ‘First past the post’ and not by adding up the opposition votes. The votes polled by MDMK are as much or in fact more against the DMK as the AIADMK or the Congress.
The bypoll verdict is a signal achievement for Ms. Jayalalitha. In a single stroke she has silenced the entire Opposition and has reasserted herself as the tallest leader in Tamilnadu. With the party firmly under her control and the people unwaveringly behind her, Ms. Jayalalitha has once again proved that she is unbeatable and reigns supreme.
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