While a popular adage says ‘politics is the last resort of scoundrels’, the candidates lists of the AIADMK, DMK, AMMK, PMK, DMDK, BJP and MNM for the Lok Sabha elections suggest it has also become the first resort of professionals.
Author: M Bhaskar Sai
The DMK leads the pack in encouraging family interests, as at least six of its 20 contestants for the parliamentary elections are kin of its stalwarts. And, all three constituencies in Chennai have been given to these powerful progeny.
The adage ‘Enemy’s enemy is a friend’ appears to be passé, at least in the Tamilnadu political arena. With Lok Sabha elections fast approaching, the two major players – AIADMK and DMK – have decided to follow a new strategy – ‘Enemy’s friend is your first enemy’.
Beyond doubt, the Pollachi case is the most shocking and shameful sex scandal of recent times. But, it snowballing into a political row all of a sudden, that too weeks after the accused were arrested, has a loaded agenda behind it, especially with the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, it is felt.
In the absence of Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, their parties — the DMK and AIADMK — are gearing up to face their first major test in the form of Lok Sabha elections and are paying extra attention to manifestos.
With the Election Commission announcing Sunday that Tamilnadu will have single-phase polling (for 39 Lok Sabha seats and 18 Assembly constituencies), leaders are left with very little time considering the huge tasks before them.
They may address ‘thaaimaargale…’ first in public meetings. But, when it comes to hardcore politics, men continue to dominate in Tamilnadu, though there were a few exceptions like Jayalalithaa. With her demise shattering the hopes of wannabe women politicos in the State, the upcoming Lok Sabha elections have brought to the fore a bunch of female politicians. These women are there in the political field for a while, but their presence is now felt in a never before way, in the run-up to the Parliamentary polls.
By keeping 20 seats for itself, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has shared an equal number of constituencies among its allies – Congress (10), VCK (2), CPI (2), CPI-M (2), MDMK (1), IUML (1), KMDK (1) and IJK (1).
A BJP functionary says, “It is true that we are focusing more on Tamilnadu this time. We have stitched a grand alliance and are taking every step to win as many seats as possible.”