PWF-DMDK in hectic talks to identify seats

While party treasurer AR Elangovan was given a ticket from Omalur, deputy secretary N Zakir Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested in the 2012 Pudukottai by-poll will contest from the same constituency. 

Among others are Joseph Jerald (Tiruchy West), Adhilingaperumal (Kanyakumari), Jaganathan (Padmanabhapuram), Azhagapuram Mohanraj (Salem West) and Parthasarathy (Virugambakkam), N Senthil Kumar (Pattukottai), V Jeyaprakash (Thanjavur), Paramasivam (Kumbakonam), Arulselvan (Mayiladuthurai), Sasikumar (Thittakudi), Umanath (Seerkazhi), Constantine Raveendran (Ambattur) and Murugesan (Chengalpattu).

“Constituencies for PWF constituents and TMC have been finalised but the list of candidates will be released later,” the PWF leader added.

Though the DMDK-PWF-TMC convener Vaiko told reporters earlier that the first list of candidates will be announced at the Mamandur conference held on April 10, alliance partner Thirumavalavan informed during the meeting that it had been deferred. 

The four-party PWF formed about eight months earlier was on a long wait to lure in DMDK, which it ultimately succeeded. On March 23, DMDK inked a seat sharing agreement with PWF and accordingly DMDK were supposed to contest in 124 and PWF in 110. “It was a strenuous exercise from the beginning as our interests clashed on many occasions,” a PWF leader said. “But we were not caught unawares by such confrontations as we were anticipating it”.

Even though the entry of GK Vasan-led TMC was welcomed with optimism by the DMDK-PWF, it further aggravated the strenuous exercise of identification of constituencies. As per the final agreement, DMDK will contest in 104 seats, MDMK (29), TMC (26) and 25 each for CPI(M), CPI and VCK.