Coimbatore : After losing most of its supporting MLAs by the disqualification order of the Speaker in 2017, the AMMK led by former MP TTV Dhinakaran is looking to face the by elections of the 18 assembly constituencies treading with utmost caution to increase their popularity in the State, being pitted against the TN political giants of AIADMK and DMK in both the by-elections and Lok Sabha polls.
With the State likely to face a mini Assembly Poll on April 18, TTV's Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) would look to cash in to gain more strength in the Assembly as DMK and AIADMK fight for power.
Coimbatore : After losing most of its supporting MLAs by the disqualification order of the Speaker in 2017, the AMMK led by former MP TTV Dhinakaran is looking to face the by elections of the 18 assembly constituencies treading with utmost caution to increase their popularity in the State, being pitted against the TN political giants of AIADMK and DMK in both the by-elections and Lok Sabha polls.
With only five MLAs on his side in the Assembly now, Dhinakaran is looking to increase his support by at least five seats in the elections and upset the incumbent State Government ruled by the EPS and OPS faction of AIADMK. Despite not being given a proper symbol to contest, Dhinakaran is being positive based on the fact that the 18 constituencies had been won by his supporters who were disqualified by the Speaker under the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1986. The Election Commission had clarified earlier that the disqualified MLAs can also contest in the by-elections. It must be recalled that these disqualified MLAs had won the elections when the AIADMK had its supremo and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa alive, who later succumbed to illness at the Apollo Hospitals, post 2016 elections.
However, despite contesting with the 'Pressure Cooker' symbol, Dhinakaran had already reinstated his power by winning the by-elections in R K Nagar with a thumping vote margin of 40,000, ousting the ruling AIADMK candidate E Madhusudhanan who contested with the popular 'two leaves' symbol, a fight still being decided in the Supreme Court. The constituency fell vacant after the untimely demise of Jayalalithaa. With the announcement of the Election Commission last night already sending a wave of nervousness in the AIADMK camp, since the party would be fighting to win as many seats as possible to sit strong in the Assembly until the end of their term in 2019, Dhinakaran just needs a few seats under his belt to upset his arch rivals.
Sitting on a wafer thin majority of 114 seats, the AIADMK will at least need more than six seats to have a comfortable position in the Assembly, since the total number of seats will then increase from the current 213 to 231, excluding the Aravakkurichi, Thirupparankundram and Ottapidaram constituencies. The by-elections to these constituencies have been postponed due to a pending case in the Court. With the DMK also aiming to close in the gap between them and the AIADMK in seat share, pressure is on the EPS-led Government to cement their position. On the other hand, both the Dravidian giants would also be concentrating on the Lok Sabha polls to have their desired allies in the Centre. Since Stalin took the reins, the DMK has taken the BJP Government in the Centre head on, with the AIADMK always looked upon as an ally of BJP, which has become official with the announcement of pre-poll alliances.
Despite not forming a strong alliance like either of the Dravidian parties, Dhinakaran is expected to be supported by Karunaas, who had earlier contested with the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol. The by-elections are to be held in Poonamallee, Perambur, Thiruporur, Sholingur, Gudiyatham (SC), Ambur, Hosur, Pappireddipatti, Harur (SC), Nilakottai (SC), Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Manamadurai (SC), Andipatti, Periyakulam (SC), Sattur, Paramakudi (SC) and Vilathikulam.