The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : The clock starts ticking for the parties

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 27, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

The clock starts ticking for the parties

By V. Jayanth

CHENNAI, APRIL 26. The nominations have closed; the scrutiny is over and the final list of candidates in the field for the May 10 Lok Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu is now out. The clock for the candidates and their parties has started ticking as they enter the final phase of the campaign. A period of two weeks is all that remains for the poll.

Opinion polls have given their projections - a clear edge for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) of seven parties. An anti-incumbency factor and the arithmetic of alliance seem to be weighing in favour of the Opposition combine. But the ruling All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and its leader, Jayalalithaa, have already discounted these forecasts and appear bent on proving them wrong - as they did in 1998. The AIADMK-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance has a lot of ground to cover and this is the stage when it must try to narrow the gap and concentrate on constituencies where it can effect a "swing".

Among the DPA constituents, the Congress and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) seem to be having problems. In the Congress, dissensions and factionalism, have always been the bane of the party. Those denied the party ticket are trying to work against the official nominees in a couple of constituencies. The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president, G.K. Vasan, is trying to restrain the factional leaders and put up a united show at least in this last phase. This is said to be creating problems in the constituencies of Rasipuram, Salem, Gobichettipalayam and Tirunelveli, among others. The party hopes to get over the rumblings, to capitalise on what it perceives to be an "anti-incumbency wave".

As for the PMK, apart from desertion by some functionaries, who are creating disaffection, matinee idol Rajnikant has egged on his fans to take on the party in its constituencies and ensure its defeat. The `Superstar' personally lodged a complaint with the Election Commission in New Delhi today. But PMK leaders discount these moves and argue that the "wave against the AIADMK far outrides every other factor."

The BJP, which is contesting six seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Pondicherry, is striving to retain some of the constituencies it holds including Nagercoil and Coimbatore in particular. It has fielded a couple of candidates who deserted the PMK and this has also caused some problems locally. The feeling in the party circles is that it should have got a couple of more "winnable seats" such as Tiruchi, and South Chennai, instead of North Chennai. According to a senior party functionary, "Unless Rajnikant himself goes out and campaigns, his call may not make too much of an impact this time."

He hopes that the visits by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister Advani may prove a shot in the arm for the party nominees in the final leg of the campaign.

Though the DMK is contesting only 15 seats this time, the stakes are very high because it is making the Lok Sabha poll a referendum on the State Government and wants to make a possible victory here the plank for the Assembly elections in 2006.

So far, violations of the election code have hit only officials - a District Collector and a Police Commissioner on top of the pack.

But the AIADMK-BJP combine will think of election petitions at a later stage.

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