CHENNAI: The upcoming Assembly election is shaping up to be a rare five-cornered contest in the State, with the addition of a new alliance between the S Ramadoss-led PMK and VK Sasikala's newly floated party.
The newfound alliance, breaking into Vanniyar votes in the north and Mukkulathor votes in the Delta and south, may prove costly for the AIADMK-led tie-up, helping the DMK-led front. With the TVK and NTK fighting for the polls alone, splitting votes across the parties, the election arithmetic is turning interesting in the State.
Ramadoss has joined hands with the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's former aide, VK Sasikala, marking the first time in nearly three decades that he has led an independent alliance. The PMK-led front has announced its decision to contest all 234 constituencies in the State.
"This move harks back to 1996, when a major political shift saw the PMK exit the DMK alliance after differences over seat-sharing. At the time, the then DMK president M. Karunanidhi reportedly declined the PMK's demand for 40 Assembly seats and 5 Lok Sabha seats, offering instead 30 Assembly and 3 Lok Sabha seats," said Dheeran, a former MLA.
After the fallout, the PMK formed a separate alliance with the Vazhappadi Ramamurthy-led Tiwari Congress. In that election, the PMK contested 116 constituencies with the Elephant symbol, while its ally contested 46 seats, he recalled.
Despite being outside the DMK alliance, the PMK secured four victories, with candidates including P Govindan (Taramangalam), Dheeran (Andimadam), GK Mani (Pennagaram) and L Ganesan (Edappadi). Notably, Dheeran defeated a strong DMK candidate, Siva Subramanian, father of the present Transport Minister SS Sivasankar.
After 1996, the PMK did not lead any alliance. It aligned with the AIADMK-led alliance in the 2001 Assembly election, joined the DMK-led alliance in 2006 and 2011, and contested alone in 2016, though it failed to win any seats. The party later allied again with the AIADMK in 2021.
Now, the party has split its political course, with S Ramadoss leading a new alliance along with Sasikala, without his favourite electoral symbol, the Mango.
"The alliance could create a significant impact in the northern and Delta regions, as both leaders are strong in their respective regions," Dheeran said.