CHENNAI: In a U-turn, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) has decided to contest all the allocated four Assembly seats on the ally DMK's rising sun symbol.
Party general secretary Vaiko on Wednesday made the announcement after a hard bargain with the alliance leader to secure one seat to contest under its own symbol, an effort to protect the party's identity and secure recognition from the Election Commission in the long run.
MDMK candidates Senthilnathan (Modakkurichi), Boominathan (Madurai South), Rajendran (Kadayanallur) and advocate R Senthilselvan (Sirkazhi) are now officially contesting in the rising sun symbol.
Earlier, it had been announced that the party would contest in Sirkazhi (SC) on its own symbol, while the other three constituencies would be contested on the Rising Sun symbol. MDMK lost its top symbol and Durai Vaiko contested under the matchbox symbol in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Tiruchy. If the party had chosen to contest on its own symbol in the Sirkazhi constituency, it would have meant spending more energy promoting a fresh symbol; instead, the party has opted for a safe bet, relying on DMK's rising sun.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin took to social media to welcome the MDMK's decision to contest all four seats under the DMK’s rising sun symbol. In a post on X, Stalin praised Vaiko's move, describing it as a gesture of magnanimity. He expressed confidence that the alliance would secure a decisive victory in the upcoming Assembly election and called upon all partners to work together.
“Let us win together,” he said, calling for a spirit of unity within the alliance.