AIADMK will merge with DMK: Minister I Periyasamy

Minister for Cooperation I Periyasamy on Wednesday said that the AIADMK will merge with ruling DMK in the coming days as the opposition party fared so poorly in the recently held elections to the urban local bodies.

Talking to reporters at Madurai airport, the Minister said the AIADMK candidates could not even manage to win enough votes to save their deposits. The party posted its worst performance in about 50 to 60 per cent of wards to an extent of losing deposit, since it lacks inspirational leadership. Moreover, scores of disenchanted AIADMK cadre have flocked back to DMK, the mother party (Thai Kazhagam).

Citing DMK’s victory in urban local body elections as ‘historic,’ he said of the total number of votes polled across Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK has secured 80 per cent of the votes.

When asked whether the BJP took a lead over the AIADMK in the political domain, taking recent results into account, the Minister said as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, it’s only the Dravidian parties, which could gain prominence.

On the whole, DMK is rendering service to the people of Tamil Nadu effectively. More importantly, the government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin needs to be continued for several years to come for the welfare of the people, he added.