The Chennai High Court has today ruled that the Speaker’s acceptance of the resignations of six AIADMK MLAs is valid. Since the case pending in court has been dismissed, the possibility of by-elections being announced soon for the five constituencies of Tiruchirappalli East, Ambasamudram, Karur, Perundurai, and Viralimalai has become bright.
In this, senior figures in the DMK are pressuring party leader Stalin to contest from the Tiruchirappalli East constituency. In response, the strategy adopted by TVK has created a stir in political circles.
Some of the DMK’s second-tier leaders who spoke to us said, "Without any alliance parties, the DMK entered the by-elections for the Dharapuram and Madurantakam constituencies relying solely on ground-level work, and finished second in both constituencies. Although we received slightly fewer votes than in the last general election, we have managed to retain the DMK’s vote bank.
In Dharapuram, T.V.K. managed to defeat the D.M.K. by a margin of just 9,000 votes. Even this has energized D.M.K. leader Stalin. Right away, he has instructed that election groundwork begin in all five constituencies that are going to face by-elections.
At that time, former minister and the party’s principal secretary K.N. Nehru said, 'You should contest in the Tiruchirappalli East constituency. Due to rising prices and power cuts, the public has grown weary of the T.V.K. government. The field is in our favor.
If you win in Tiruchi East, no one will taunt us saying, “We can’t find your father.” Your victory will energize the party’s grassroots workers. “We are ready to work, even to give our lives, so that you can win...” he urged the leader to contest in Tiruchi East.
Many seniors have also endorsed K.N. Nehru’s view. There is also a political strategy behind their pressure. If Stalin enters the legislative assembly, Udhayanidhi will not be able to continue as the Leader of the Opposition. He would have to give up that post to Stalin. As before, the seniors’ hand would once again prevail within the DMK. It is after taking all this into account that party seniors are insisting Stalin contest from Tiruchirappalli East.
However, the leader has not made any decision yet. “The election date itself has not yet been announced. We can look into the candidate then,” he said. Even so, the seniors are determined to field the leader in the by-election,” they said.
This discussion that took place within the DMK reached the top of the government through intelligence channels, and as a countermeasure, a strategy has reportedly been drawn up. That is, if Stalin is fielded as the candidate for the Tiruchi East by-election, the TVK leadership has reportedly considered fielding Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol. Thirumavalavan against him. In this regard, it is also said that Chief Minister Vijay held consultations with two senior ministers.
Some ministers who spoke to us about this said, "The leadership is calculating that if Thirumavalavan is fielded as the candidate for the Tiruchi East constituency, it can achieve two political gains. First, if Thiruma is fielded as the candidate of the TVK alliance, Stalin will not contest against him. He will back down. That itself is a victory.
Second, Thiruma is upset by the spreading news that the PMK is going to join the alliance. At a public meeting held in Tindivanam, he openly declared, 'If the PMK comes in, we will walk out.'
To keep him “cool,” those two senior ministers have advised the Chief Minister, “We can make Thirumavalavan win in Tiruchi East and make him a minister...” The Chief Minister has not yet taken any decision on this matter. If Stalin enters the fray as a candidate, Thiruma may be fielded in return.
The Chidambaram constituency, where Thiruma is the sitting MP, may be allotted to the T.V.K. Meanwhile, former ministers K.P. Krishnan and Vellamandi Natarajan, who have joined the T.V.K., are expecting the Tiruchi East constituency for their heirs. Consideration on that is also under way,” they said.
With reports spreading that political "heavyweights" are about to enter the fray, the political circles are already buzzing with excitement. If Stalin has decided to test the waters by confronting them, then sparks are certain to fly after that.