With new players, Tamil Nadu set to witness multi-cornered contest in many constituencies

The AIADMK manifesto this year offers washing machines to every ration card holder, six free LPG cylinders a year and other sops to look more attractive to voters than what the DMK unveiled in its list of promises to citizens a day earlier.

Both have loan waivers, educational loans in particular, cash assistance and other sops included. DMK has pledged that it would reserve 75% jobs for locals and slash petrol and diesel price by R.5 and 4 per litre. AIADMK promises include Amma Housing Scheme, 50% bus fare subsidy for women in city buses, one year maternity leave and expansion of nutritious meals to students.

While DMK finalised its alliance with the Congress and the Left and other traditional State allies in a relatively smooth manner, the ruling AIADMK led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami faces far too many dissidents (many sitting MLAs left out, unlike DMK). DMK has retained over 80 sitting MLAs and ex-Ministers and also accommodated parties with caste allegiance.

AIADMK has both PMK (of Dr Ramadoss) and BJP as allies and given them 23 and 20 seats respectively. The left-out MLAs of the ruling party and disappointed hopefuls have embraced AMMK (Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam), led by TTV Dhinakaran, nephew of VK Sasikala, who claims to be keeping out of politics for now.

AMMK, owing allegiance to the founder of AIADMK ‘Amma’ Jayalalithaa, is opposed to the present leadership of the party in power but is even more against DMK. And its role may get some boost from its new ally, Captain Vijaykanth’s DMDK which is contesting in 60 seats.

Actor turned politician Kamal Haasan’s MNM (Makkal Needhi Maiam) floated in 2019, had polled 3.7% of votes in the Lok Sabha election. In interviews he has said that while winning seats is expected from a political party, “whatever happens in the 2021 election, you cannot dismiss MNM from the map of Tamil Nadu politics” for the future. Haasan has filed his own nomination from Coimbatore South constituency.

“We have this vantage position of ‘centrism’, which allows us to place people before even ideologies. This is the virtue and strength of centrism, which is fast gaining momentum in world politics,” he says and maintains that the term ‘Dravidian’ cannot be limited to two or three parties and should include everyone who speaks Tamil. With several retired bureaucrats and intellectuals have been fielded by him and he hopes to do well.

With the battle lines drawn and a four-cornered contest likely in almost all the constituencies of the state, the result is anybody’s guess. (IPA)