CHENNAI: It is a shrewd gamble on the part of chief minister J Jayalalithaa to give up a Rajya Sabha seat to accommodate the CPI nominee D Raja. Sources say it is quite possible that the ruling party, which is now assured of support and loyalty of the CPI, is keen on restoring ties with erstwhile partners Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, Puthiya Thamizhagam and All India Forward Bloc for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK-Congress-Left alliance swept all 40 seats, including Puducherry. By backing the CPI, the AIADMK chief has ensured that such a combine does not re-emerge.
On Tuesday, the CPI made an official attempt to seek support of the smaller parties. This, despite the AIADMK-CPI combine having requisite numbers to ensure the victory of all its five candidates. The AIADMK has 151 MLAs in the 234-member assembly, while the CPI has eight MLAs and CPM 10 and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and the Puthiya Tamilagam two each.
With the ruling party giving enough indication to CPI leaders, who called on CM J Jayalalithaa, that it would like to retain the electoral pact until the general elections, Raja, along with senior comrades of the state unit called on MMK chief M H Jawahirullah and spoke to PT's Krishnasamy and AIFB's Usilampatti MLA P V Kathiravan on phone to seek their support.
"We were coalition partners in the assembly elections too and we need their support for my candidature for RS polls," Raja told TOI. The ruling party has been in constant touch with the smaller allies, with senior cabinet ministers O Panneerselvam and Natham R Viswanathan calling on Jawahirullah.
The AIADMK had little option but to give up the seat for CPI. The lack of numbers too played a role in the party withdrawing K Thangamuthu from the fray. Thangamurthu, who lost four Lok Sabha elections in the past, has been mollified with an honorary post of chairman of the slum clearance board.
Source: TOI
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK-Congress-Left alliance swept all 40 seats, including Puducherry. By backing the CPI, the AIADMK chief has ensured that such a combine does not re-emerge.
On Tuesday, the CPI made an official attempt to seek support of the smaller parties. This, despite the AIADMK-CPI combine having requisite numbers to ensure the victory of all its five candidates. The AIADMK has 151 MLAs in the 234-member assembly, while the CPI has eight MLAs and CPM 10 and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and the Puthiya Tamilagam two each.
With the ruling party giving enough indication to CPI leaders, who called on CM J Jayalalithaa, that it would like to retain the electoral pact until the general elections, Raja, along with senior comrades of the state unit called on MMK chief M H Jawahirullah and spoke to PT's Krishnasamy and AIFB's Usilampatti MLA P V Kathiravan on phone to seek their support.
"We were coalition partners in the assembly elections too and we need their support for my candidature for RS polls," Raja told TOI. The ruling party has been in constant touch with the smaller allies, with senior cabinet ministers O Panneerselvam and Natham R Viswanathan calling on Jawahirullah.
The AIADMK had little option but to give up the seat for CPI. The lack of numbers too played a role in the party withdrawing K Thangamuthu from the fray. Thangamurthu, who lost four Lok Sabha elections in the past, has been mollified with an honorary post of chairman of the slum clearance board.
Source: TOI
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