The supposed swing factor in the forthcoming TN assembly elections has announced that he would not be a candidate in any constituency his party is contesting.
CHENNAI: In what seems to be the season of political sacrifices, Tamil Nadu got its own bit of drama on Wednesday when Vaiko, the supposed swing factor in the forthcoming assembly elections in the state, announced that he would not be a candidate in any of the 35 constituencies his party is contesting.
Unlike chief minister J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi, with their tinsel-town antecedents, Vaiko is not a film personality, but that did not dilute the theatrical display of renunciation the MDMK leader put on while announcing his party’s candidates’ list at a public meeting in Chennai.
Everybody was expecting Vaiko to contest the Sivakasi seat. Reading out the list, with only a few seconds to go before the 10pm deadline signalling the end of campaigning in the city, Vaiko paused dramatically before announcing: “And, for Sivakasi seat, R Gnanadas.”
It was a virtual repeat of what happened in 2004. On that occasion, Vaiko announced the candidature of Sippiparai Ravichandran instead of his own for the Sivakasi Lok Sabha constituency. It was déjà vu as MDMK leaders pleaded with Vaiko to reconsider his decision, and the cadres began jacking up the melodrama pitch. The thespian would have none of it, staying stoically silent before walking off the podium.
The reasons for Vaiko’s decision not to contest were to be found backstage. Insiders say he was determined to contest - for the first time in an Assembly election - while the MDMK was part of the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance. But after the change of tack that saw him switch loyalties to the AIADMK-led alliance, Vaiko has been having second thoughts.
It is unlikely the charismatic Vaiko feared defeat in Sivakasi, a constituency that is as ‘safe’ as it gets for him. Instead, the likely post-poll scenario seems to have played on his mind. If the DMK comes to power, Vaiko will end up in the Assembly as a sidekick of Jayalalithaa, who would be opposition leader. The MDMK’s boss’s ambition and pride demands better.
In the event of an AIADMK victory, Vaiko, as an MLA of a supporting party, would find it tough to maintain his pro-Tamil Eelam posturing. Outside, being the contrarian would be less arduous a job. Additionally, there are likely to be plenty of other issues on which Vaiko’s views will run counter to those of the AIADMK.
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