CHENNAI: PMK MLA and party Assembly floor leader Sowmiya Anbumani has asked journalists not to give importance to rumours that she is planning to switch parties and secure a ministerial post in the TVK-led government.
Her remarks come amid reports of a possible political understanding between the PMK and the ruling TVK, with speculation that the PMK could extend support to the government and that Sowmiya Anbumani could be considered for a Cabinet berth.
The reports had suggested that portfolios such as School Education, Environment and Forests could be among those considered for her if an arrangement was reached between the two parties. A Cabinet reshuffle was also being speculated after the October 6 Assembly by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram.
However, Sowmiya Anbumani's response has sought to play down the speculation
The reported developments come at a time when the PMK's political position has come under renewed attention. The party is currently part of the AIADMK-BJP alliance. At the same time, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss' recent approach towards Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, compared with his earlier criticism, has fuelled speculation about a possible shift in political alignment.
The PMK has also decided not to support any party in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram by-elections, adding to speculation over its future political course.
TVK won 108 of the 234 Assembly seats in the April 23 election, three seats short of the 118 required for a majority. The party subsequently formed the government with support from Congress, VCK and IUML, whose MLAs joined the Cabinet.
The CPI and CPI(M), which won two seats each, extended external support but remained outside the Cabinet. Both parties have since maintained that they are not part of the TVK alliance and are contesting the upcoming by-elections independently.
CPI is contesting Dharapuram, while CPI(M) is contesting Madurantakam.
The two constituencies are among seven Assembly seats that have fallen vacant. Six of these — Madurantakam, Dharapuram, Perundurai, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai and Karur — were held by AIADMK MLAs who resigned and subsequently joined the TVK. The seventh, Tiruchirappalli East, fell vacant after Vijay resigned the seat after retaining Perambur
Even if TVK wins all seven by-elections, its strength would rise to 115, leaving it three seats short of the majority mark.
Against this backdrop, any formal decision by the PMK to extend support to the government could have implications for the ruling dispensation's legislative strength. For now, however, speculation over Sowmiya Anbumani's reported Cabinet entry has been publicly played down by the PMK MLA herself.