The Hindu : Front Page : Jayalalithaa rules out coalition Government in Tamil Nadu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006

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Jayalalithaa rules out coalition Government in Tamil Nadu

Special Correspondent

AIADMK releases manifestos for Assembly poll in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry

SOUNDS CONFIDENT: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa addressing the media at the party headquarters in Chennai on Tuesday. — Photo: V.Ganesan

CHENNAI: Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Jayalalithaa on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of a coalition government in the State after the May 8 Assembly elections. Her party would return to power with absolute majority, she said.

After releasing the AIADMK manifestos for the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry at the party headquarters, she said, "We will form our Government with independent majority."

Asked whether a coalition government would be installed after the poll, she said, "definitely that will not happen."

"The alliance we have now is a winning alliance. It has the support of the people. I am very confident that the Democratic People's Alliance will sweep the polls and win almost all the 234 Assembly seats or a majority of them."

To a question on Congress president Sonia Gandhi's resignation as MP, she said, "This is totally irrelevant to the Tamil Nadu Assembly poll. This is the election to decide who should rule the State."

On the differences between the coming Assembly elections and the previous ones, she said, "probably this is the last time that we are facing our traditional political enemy."

Main political enemy

On actor Vijayakanth's entry into politics, she said, "as far as the AIADMK is concerned, our main political enemy is the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and nobody else."

"I am not able to envisage that now. I do not see any such possibility," she said when asked if the AIADMK would strike a "historic compromise" with its "natural ally", the Congress, in the post-poll scenario.

On fielding candidates in 54 Assembly segments in Kerala, she said the decision was taken on the assessment that the AIADMK had a good following in that State. The party would like to test its strength. "We lose nothing, as we are a new entrant into the State's political arena."

A total of 11,850 applications were received from AIADMK members for ticket for the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry. Of the 11,426 applications received in Tamil Nadu, 907 were given in her name. Of the 357 applications received in Pondicherry, two were submitted in her favour. Four of the 67 applications submitted in Kerala were given in her name. On her decision to nominate new faces as party candidates, she said, "I never do anything without a proper reason."

She said the AIADMK filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the Election Commission's decision to stop ongoing schemes such as distribution of tsunami relief, flood relief, assistance under the Uzhavar Padhukappu Thittam and free dhoti and sarees.

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