CHENNAI: Senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik on Sunday (March 8) expressed confidence that the alliance between the Congress and the ruling DMK would secure a decisive victory in the upcoming Assembly elections, while asserting that the Grand Old Party (GOP) would lead the alliance in Puducherry even as the DMK heads the coalition in Tamil Nadu.
Addressing reporters at Satyamurthy Bhavan in Chennai after a two-day review meeting on poll preparedness in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Wasnik described the alliance as a “formidable” one and said it had taken final shape ahead of the elections.
“The alliance between the DMK and Congress has finally emerged. It is going to be a formidable alliance. We are confident of getting the people’s support in Tamil Nadu. After the counting of votes, you will see that we will have our government in the State,” he said.
Wasnik said his interactions with party leaders and workers in both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry revealed strong enthusiasm within the organisation. “There is tremendous enthusiasm among the leadership in both states. We have seen that the organisation is in full preparedness to go for elections,” he said.
Responding to questions on actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Wasnik dismissed concerns about electoral impact and said the people’s mandate would remain with the DMK-Congress alliance.
Girish Chodankar, the Congress in charge of Tamil Nadu, said that although the party would contest only 28 of the 234 constituencies in the State, it was mobilising its organisational strength across Tamil Nadu to ensure victory for the alliance.
He said the party plans to deploy around 1,000 active members in each constituency to strengthen campaign efforts for both Congress candidates and its alliance partners. Chodankar added that the party currently has around 22,000 village committees and nearly two lakh active members, along with strong booth-level committees.
Meanwhile, Chodankar was rushed to a nearby hospital after he fainted during the deliberations. The TNCC chief later clarified that he fell off after an ankle twist and sustained a minor sprain. Chodankar later resumed official work.