In battle of alliances, DMK may be ahead

CHENNAI: Some exit polls at the end of the last phase of polling in the 17th general elections predicted that the Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam may bag more seats than the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led National Democratic Alliance in the state.

In Tamil Nadu, which polled in the second phase on April 18, the ruling AIADMK is in an alliance with the Pattali Makkal Katchi, New Justice Party, an OBC Mudhaliyar caste party run by AC Shanmugam and Puthiya Thamilagam, a Dalit Pallars party led by Dr K Krishnaswamy, besides the Bharatiya Janata Party. As per the seat sharing arrangement, of the state’s 39 seats, the AIADMK contested in 20, while the BJP in five, among others.

Polling in Vellore was cancelled by the Election Commission, which found merit to the charge that cash was being used to buy votes.

In turn, DMK aligned with the Congress, Left parties, Thol Thirumavalan’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (a Dalit party) and the Indian Union Muslim League, among others. While the DMK fought in 19 seats, the Congress fought in 9.

TTV Dhinakaran, the nephew of VK Sasikala, a close aide of the former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, was the unknown factor in this election, with his rebel faction Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (a splinter of the AIADMK) fielding 37 candidates.

The exit polls of India TodayAxis predicted a sweep for the DMK-Congress combine, possibly winning anywhere between 34 to 38 LS seats, with the AIDMKBJP combine receiving up to four seats. News 18 IPSOS, however, predicted that the AIADMK and allies may end up with 14-16 seats and the DMK and allies with 22 to 24 seats.The Neta News-X exit polls suggested that Dhinakaran’s AMMK may get five seats.

“As our party faces the first general election without our supremo J Jayalalithaa, the number of seats might have come down compared to 2014. But, I am sure that AIADMK will be a part of NDA cabinet,” minister and AIADMK leader K Pandia Rajan said.

BJP state spokesperson T Narayanan said the exit polls gave him hope. “The nation-wide exit polls reflect the peoples’ mindset. However, in Tamil Nadu, if our alliance gets 14 seats, it will make us feel better since we achieved this amid the interparty tussles of AIADMK,” he said.

“Our leader MK Stalin has already said that we don’t believe exit and pre-polls. We have the faith only the people’s verdict and not the predictions of media houses,” said RS Bharathi, DMK organizing secretary, and Rajya Sabha MP. “In the past, we have seen that the exit polls are completely different from the election results,” All India Mahila Congress general secretary S Vijaya Dharani said.

“There is a double anti-incumbency against ruling BJP at the centre and AIDMK in the state. While the majority of exit polls are saying that BJP will emerge as a single largest party, the Tamil Nadu scenario is completely different,” Political analyst Aazhi Senthilnathan said.