Chennai: With the nine districts of Tamilnadu going for rural local body polls in two phases on 6 and 9 October, the State is witnessing a tough political battle between the AIADMK led front and the DMK led front.
The polls are wide open and both the fronts have a point to prove. While the DMK front which is in the saddle in Tamilnadu wants to establish that the 2021 victory was not a fluke, the AIADMK wants to regain lost ground and establish its supremacy in these rural local body elections and hence prove its presence with a bang.
The AIADMK has however received a jolt even before the polls in the northern parts of Tamilnadu as the powerful Vanniyar political party, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) which was part of the AIADMK front suddenly announced that it would go it alone in the ensuing polls.
The PMK has openly announced that lack of time to decide on seat-sharing led to its decision to contest the polls alone.
The PMK contesting alone in the northern districts will affect the prospects of the AIADMK. In the southern districts of Tamilnadu, the recent beheading of four people as part of a caste war has affected the ruling dispensation.
The nine districts of the State that are going to the polls in two phases are Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tenkasi, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruppatur, Tirunelveli, Villupuram, and Kallakuruchi. Political parties are busy connecting with the people.
While Chief Minister M K Stalin is leading the DMK campaign, the AIADMK is being led by former Chief Ministers, O Panneerselvam and Edappadi. K Palaniswami.
With the results of the elections coming out on 12 October, it remains to be seen who will have the last laugh even as political observers are of the opinion that the DMK led front has an edge.