DMK gains new allies, AIADMK and AMMK still remains isolated

AIADMK and its splinter group AMMK remains isolated in Tamil Nadu politics even as DMK gaining new allies ahead of the crucial bypolls to 20 assembly seats and next year’s Lok Sabha election.

DMK president MK Stalin prided that parties flocking to his party to have an alliance following the visit of Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s proposed meeting on November 13.

Naidu met Stalin at his residence for a dinner meeting on Friday as part of his efforts to cobble up a front against the BJP led NDA government at the centre. Yechury would be meeting Stalin on November 13 after his party decided to have an electoral understanding with the DMK led alliance comprising of Congress.

While CPI had already announced its decision to join the DMK-Congress alliance, CPI (M) remained undecided on the tie-up for a long time. “We wanted to end the BJP government at the centre and AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu. So we decided to align with DMK,” said CPI (M) state secretary K Balakrishnan. Yechury who will be in Chennai to take part in the party’s Tamil Nadu unit state committee meeting would meet Stalin on November 13, he said.

With the Marxist party joining the alliance, DMK alliance comprises of Congress, Vaiko’s MDMK, IUML, CPI and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. DMK led alliance would have a clear edge over the ruling AIADMK if one goes by the 2016 Assembly election vote share but the demise of DMK chief M Karunanidhi and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and entry of Tamil actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth into politics.