The Hindu : PMK to contest from six constituencies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 24, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

PMK to contest from six constituencies

By R.K. Radhakrishnan

CHENNAI, JAN. 23. The leader of the Democratic Progressive Alliance in the State, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) today completed its seat-sharing exercise with a major partner, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).

The PMK will contest from Dharmapuri, Pondicherry, Chengalpattu, Chidambaram, Tindivanam and Vellore or Arakkonam. The party will also contest a Rajya Sabha seat when a vacancy arises later this year. The DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, and the PMK founder, S. Ramadoss, signed the agreement at Mr. Karunanidhi's Gopalapuram residence here, in the presence of senior leaders from both the parties.

``We have welcomed everyone for the feast,'' Mr. Karunanidhi said when he was asked whether he would conclude seat-sharing with the others shortly. He refused to fix a date for the completion of the exercise. Details of which seats the Congress would contest have not been decided as yet.

Later in the evening, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leaders, L. Ganesan, Gingee N. Ramachandran, M. Kannappan and Nazareth Durai, met the DMK seat-sharing committee. The DMK leaders, Arcot N. Veerasamy, Veerapandi Arumugham, T.R. Baalu, Durai Murugan, and M.K. Stalin, held a short discussion with the MDMK leaders.

On Thursday, the MDMK leaders met their general secretary, Vaiko, at the special court for Prevention of Terrorism Act cases, Poonamallee, near here, to discuss the Lok Sabha elections and seat-sharing. They will again meet the jailed leader on January 27. An agreement on the seats the MDMK will contest will be decided then.

Mr. Ganesan said he met with Mr. Karunanidhi to hand over a copy of the resolutions adopted by the MDMK district secretaries earlier this week. There was no discussion on seat-sharing, he added.

Gingee Ramachandran not keen on Tindivanam

The MDMK also did not offer comment on the DMK's decision to give away the seat held by Mr. Ramachandran (Tindivanam) to the PMK. Sources said Mr. Ramachandran was not keen on contesting the seat. This could be one of the reasons for the DMK giving the seat to the PMK.

With the seat-sharing exercise with the PMK having been completed, the focus now shifts to the other allies of the DMK. The PMK considers itself ``a very strong partner'' and hence, the DMK chief will have to keep this in mind when he decides on seat allocations to the others, sources said. He would be hardpressed to part with more seats — than what was allotted to the PMK — to the others and justify the same given the strength of the parties in the State, the sources said.

The PMK leader appeared unhappy when he emerged out of the DMK chief's residence and declined to offer any comment to the waiting mediapersons. A couple of alliance leaders said Mr. Karunanidhi had given away to the PMK only ``winnable seats.''

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