CHENNAI: Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national president KM Kader Mohideen on Sunday alleged that the DMK had considered alternative Chief Ministerial candidates, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan.
He claimed that during consultations on the post-election political situation, IUML leaders were informed by the DMK side about a proposal to support Palaniswami as Chief Minister. On another occasion, a suggestion involving Thirumavalavan becoming Chief Minister, with the possibility of entering the legislature within six months, was also discussed.
Stating that IUML was uncomfortable with both options, Kader Mohideen said the party maintained that Vijay, having secured the people's mandate, should be allowed to form the government.
When asked whether DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin had personally suggested the names of Palaniswami or Thirumavalavan, Kader Mohideen said the proposals had come from the DMK side but declined to attribute them to any individual.
The IUML leader further said that during the election campaign, women volunteers engaged in door-to-door canvassing in the Kolathur constituency had reported a strong desire for political change, particularly among women voters. These observations were conveyed to leaders in the DMK-led alliance, he said.
"We were told that women were speaking differently and that there appeared to be a strong sentiment for change. We informed the DMK about these trends, but we do not know what follow-up action was taken," he said.
Despite the ground inputs, neither the political parties nor the alliance leaders had anticipated the scale of support TVK would receive, he added. While many expected the party to influence electoral outcomes, few believed it would be in a position to form the government, he said.
Kader Mohideen said concerns over a prolonged delay in government formation and the possibility of President's Rule prompted parties in the DMK-led alliance to extend unconditional support to Vijay's government.
He said the party did not initially seek ministerial berths but later agreed to participate in the Cabinet after discussions within its national leadership. The IUML also urged the new government to continue welfare initiatives introduced under the previous DMK regime and uphold Tamil Nadu's traditions of social justice and linguistic rights.
Meanwhile, in a sign of the IUML's complete shift towards the TVK, the Muslim party batted for Vijay and team's decision to accept MLAs who resigned from AIADMK, an ally of the BJP-led NDA. Kader Mohideen denied allegations that TVK had engineered defections from the AIADMK, arguing that legislators who joined the party had first resigned their Assembly seats.