FIREWORKS ON RS POLL BEGIN IN TN
Thursday, 13 June 2013 | Kumar Chellappan | CHENNAI
The country could see political pyro-techniques in Tamil Nadu in the coming days. It all began on Wednesday with K Pandiarajan, a MLA belonging to the DMDK led by Vijayakanth, calling on Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
Though Pandiarajan said he called on the CM to discuss his “constituency related issues”, it is clear that he too would be declaring support to the AIADMK in the June 27 biennial election to Rajya Sabha from the State. Pandiarajan, a businessman-turned-politician, is the seventh MLA from the DMDK to call on Jayalalithaa, making Vijayakanth tense.
Pandiarajan has not been attending the DMDK meeting for the last three months as his relations with Vijayakanth turned sour. “You can see another seven MLAs from the DMDK expressing support to Amma (Jayalalithaa) in the coming days. They are all ready to cross over but we are waiting for the magic figure of 20 which will save them from the provisions of the anti-defection law,” said a source close to the CM.
Interestingly, Pandiarajan represents Virudunagar, a place famous for fire-cracker units. “Watch out for lots of political fireworks in the coming days. We are out to make the Rajya Sabha election a festival,” said the AIADMK source on condition of anonymity.
On Monday, Jayalalithaa sprang a surprise by declaring the names of five AIADMK nominees for the June 27 Rajya Sabha election. The AIADMK has 151 seats and can ensure the victory of four candidates since each of the nominees needs 34 votes. But the announcement of the fifth candidate has baffled not only the political watchers but even the DMK leader Karunanidhi who is yet to react to the development.
There are six Rajya Sabha vacancies from Tamil Nadu. With the DMK yet to mobilise the 34 votes for the party nominee Kanimozhi, the question doing the rounds is who will win the sixth seat. The DMK has 23 members in the Assembly. Unless the DMK and the DMDK (which has 22 members with seven of its members jumping the fence) enters an electoral pact, there is no possibility for Kanimozhi to get elected. The Congress and the PMK have five and three members respectively. Unless Vijayakanth gives a green signal to Karunanidhi, it will be embarrassing for Kanimozhi to file her nomination papers.
The CPI, which was denied the Rajya Sabha seat by Jayalalithaa, is yet to make its plans known. “They would have got the AIADMK support had they fielded D Pandian instead of D Raja. How can Madam support a person like Raja who has no qualms in visiting Karunanidhi’s residence in the evening and honour him with shawls after getting elected with the AIADMK votes?” asked a senior AIADMK functionary.
With the CPI State leadership unlikely to take an anti-Jayalalithaa posture, there is a possibility that the Left parties will continue their ties with the AIADMK. As on Wednesday evening, the AIADMK has the support of 18 Left and seven DMDK dissident MLAs. The four MLAs from MMK and PT too will vote with the AIADMK. That will take the AIADMK kitty to 180 votes. If the contestants bag 30 votes each, the five nominees fielded by the AIADMK and the sixth contestant could win the June 27 election. Only a DMDK-DMK tie up could prevent the AIADMK front from sweeping the poll.
But the question is whether Panrutti Ramachandran, who counsels Vijayakanth on all issues, will advise him for a tie-up with Karunanidhi. Ramachandran, who had been the young Transport Minister in the Karunanidhi Government of the 70s has not forgotten how the DMK patriarch took him for a ride in a sensitive political issue which almost cost the former his political career.