DMK on comeback trail

By Radha Venkatesan

CHENNAI, OCT. 22. Just five months after its mortifying debacle in the May Assembly polls, the DMK appears to be on a recovery trail. The civic poll results may not have given the key opposition any cause for jubilation, but it is clearly showing signs of bouncing back, particularly in traditional AIADMK strongholds.

While there has been no sudden swing in the voter mood in favour of the DMK front in the past five months, its improved performance, it appears, is largely due the dramatic change in alliance arithmetic since the Assembly polls.

Aided by three crucial external factors-exit of the Congress and the CPI (M) from the AIADMK front, the emergence of the Congress- led alternative front and, more importantly, the return of the roving PMK-the DMK front has once again proved a match to the AIADMK alliance at the hustings.

While the erstwhile DMK regime's focus on roads and civic amenities may have added to its vote bank, the crucial determinant was once again picking useful allies and dumping the not-so-useful ones.

With its desperate gamble of roping in a cluster of smaller, caste-based parties coming a cropper in the Assembly elections, the DMK this time round was more cautious in forging alliances. Parties with proven transferable vote banks such as the PMK and the MGR-ADMK were ushered into the alliance while the Dalit allies, which appeared to have an eroding effect on the DMK's OBC vote bank, were allowed to make an exit.

And the strategy appeared to have paid dividends as the DMK's support base showed a dramatic change when final results came in today.

Surprise triumph in south

In the southern belt, a traditional bastion of the rival AIADMK, the DMK pulled off a surprise triumph in as many as 14 municipalities including Sankarankoil in Tirunelveli district and a near-sweep in Sivaganga and Virudhunagar districts.

While the influence of the local strongmen including Mr. K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran and Mr. T. Kiruttinan, besides the choice of candidates such as Mr. R. Tamaraikani in Srivilliputhur, helped, the DMK front got a considerable number of OBC votes in the south, thanks to the absence of the Dalit party, Puthiya Tamizhagam.

In the west, another weak zone, the DMK has won four municipalities including two in Coimbatore district, where the party was wiped out in the Assembly polls.

Loss in Corporations

However, the results came with a package of concerns too. The DMK-led front, considered a largely urban-based combine, has been defeated in four out of six Corporations.

Though the youth wing leader, Mr. M. K. Stalin, appeared set to remain Chennai Mayor, the DMK has lost considerable ground in its traditional urban bastion. The high- profile Mayor could not pull off a run-away victory nor, could the party retain a majority in the Chennai Corporation.

Thanjavur district, another traditional comfort zone for the DMK, too, appeared slipping away from its control. The party which won the Kumbakonam seat in the Assembly elections lost the municipality there. While it barely managed to retain Thanjavur municipality, it was routed in Pattukottai.

However, the DMK kept up its creditable performance in the DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi's home district, Tiruvarur, though the party nominee lost in the panchayat union ward in his native village of Thirukuvalai.

As for the DMK's national ally, BJP, it has made creditable gains winning six municipalities and 14 town panchayats. The MGR-ADMK too has made surprise inroads into new terrain such as Tirupur in Coimbatore district.

But the PMK has not gained much from its last-minute entry into the DMK camp though it helped the front win a substantial number of seats in the northern Vanniar belt.

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Section  : Southern States
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