DMK stuns allies by inviting cadre to apply for urban LB polls

K KARTHIKEYAN

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK has stunned its allies by inviting party workers to apply for urban local body elections. The party has gone about its business, as usual, issuing applications for urban local body elections in many districts, including the state headquarters, even as the allies keep wondering about their share of seats in the municipal councils.

Even on Monday, DMK district secretaries of Chennai (East), Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur issued notifications in party organ Murasoli, asking party workers to collect their applications for contesting in urban local body polls from Monday.

A leader of a national party in the DMK alliance disclosed that they were only repeating what they did a few months ago during the second leg of rural local body elections. “They invited applications and fielded their candidates. When our district presidents complained of dissatisfaction in seat sharing, not much was done. We had to be content with the seats offered by the DMK,” the leader added.

A district president of one of DMK’s alliance parties told DT

Next on condition of anonymity that they expected the DMK to compensate for its earlier stubbornness by being relatively generous in the urban civic polls, but the indications do not inspire confidence.

“Urban local body elections and legislative council were cited by the DMK high command to restrict allies to the bare minimum number of seats during Assembly elections. We hope the invitation of application by DMK district secretaries is a mere formality,” he added.

However, DMK Rajya Sabha MP RS Bharathi said, “Collecting applications is quite common... Our alliance continues. Our leader has already clarified that. We will amicably settle seat-sharing issues locally with allies based on local strength of parties.”