DMK should go it alone in 2021 polls: Kishor tells Stalin

In a first meeting with DMK president MK Stalin, after inking the pact for 2021 Assembly election, the renowned poll strategist Prashant Kishor was understood to have suggested DMK that the party might do well even if it contests the polls alone next year.

Sources with knowledge of the meeting which was learnt to have happened at Stalin’s residence in the presence of a couple of his family members here on February 21, said the DMK would create a record of sorts even if it faces the election without the company of allies. Though it pleased an already confident DMK, the suggestion came as a bolt out of the blue for the DMK top brass who has not even considered such an option. The DMK leadership was in no mood to even consider losing even one of its existing allies, let alone dumping them all in toto.

In fact, the DMK high command has been treading cautiously to avoid a repeat of 2016 debacle when the third front had deprived them of a victory, which was very much in their grasp. A senior DMK leader who did not wish to be named remarked that I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee) is expected to have presented a picture of the current political situation, which clearly favours the party. “In the present political situation, we would win hands down even if we faced the election alone. PK would only have presented a picture of the ground reality. The analyst would not have suggested going it alone. The idea is not even considered, remotely,” said a party senior requesting anonymity.

When asked, DMK organizing secretary R S Bharathi dismissed it as untruth and said, “This is a malicious campaign run by rivals who want to disturb our alliance. There is no truth in it. Our alliance is strong. Nothing of that sort happened. Our alliance will not get disrupted by such rival campaigns,” remarked an evasive Bharathi who was non-committal on the rendezvous between Stalin and I-PAC.