The Lok Sabha polls 2024 is a litmus check for AIADMK chief Edappadi Okay Palaniswami because the celebration’s electoral efficiency could have a substantial bearing in enhancing the fortunes of the outfit two years later when the state will go for Meeting polls.
When Palaniswami, who expelled his former colleague and ex-Chief Minister O Panneerselvam from the celebration in 2022, it was the start of a number of different steps that adopted to cement his place because the undisputed celebration chief and partly to arrange the AIADMK for the 2026 Meeting election.
By snapping ties with the BJP in September final yr, the AIADMK anticipated at the least a few DMK’s allies together with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi to hitch the alliance led by it.
Nonetheless, that didn’t materialise and Palaniswami who usually spoke of a “mega alliance” for the LS polls might solely cobble up an alliance with Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam based by the late actor-politician ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth and a few smaller outfits.
To the dismay of the AIADMK, the PMK, which fought alongside the AIADMK in 2021 Meeting polls joined fingers with the BJP. Former legislator, M Thamimun Ansari-led Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi, has prolonged assist to the DMK entrance, although it was anticipated that MJK would assist Palaniswami’s celebration because it had severed ties with the Saffron celebration.
Now, the AIADMK chief has modified his chorus from mega alliance to folks’s energy by asserting that DMK President and Chief Minister M Okay Stalin depends on his allies whereas his celebration confronted the polls with folks’s assist and the power they supplied to the celebration. “Victory is feasible solely with the folks’s power (assist) and it’s on our aspect,” EPS stated in certainly one of his ballot rallies.
The 2024 LS polls is the primary key election the AIADMK, led by Palaniswami, is dealing with following the expulsion of Panneerselvam and after breaking away from the BJP-led Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Although defeated in 2021 Meeting polls after a decade in energy, the AIADMK alongwith allies, together with the PMK and BJP togther received a formidable 75 constituencies out of the entire 234 seats within the Meeting.
Palaniswami, popularly often known as EPS, has earnestly taken upon himself the duty of proving that he’s the true successor to celebration icons M G Ramachandran and ‘Amma’ J Jayalalithaa.
EPS, arguably the one star campaigner of the AIADMK, has to convincingly win a very good variety of seats within the Parliamentary polls for his celebration for his political graph to rise. Little surprise, Palaniswami faces an actual check within the type of LS polls.
Electoral success will assist strengthen an undisputed chief picture, and validate selections equivalent to ousting OPS and bidding adieu to the BJP. Additionally, this may go a great distance in charting a brand new plan of action to seize energy from the DMK.
It, nevertheless, seems to be an uphill battle within the face of DMK’s electoral heft, ably supported by its allies.
Beginning with the April 2019 LS polls, the DMK has received each election in Tamil Nadu together with the civic polls. The exception was the October 2019 bypolls to 2 Meeting seats during which the DMK entrance was humbled by the AIADMK, then ruling celebration.
The AIADMK now has to face the BJP as effectively, which is led by its up-and-coming chief, Okay Annamalai. The Saffron celebration is predicted to offer an actual combat in a number of pockets of western area in addition to Karur, which has 54 contesting candidates, the best within the state. Karur is the house turf of Annamalai, although he’s contesting LS polls from Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu.
In an effort to beat the chances, Palaniswami has been doing his greatest by focusing on the DMK mix on all key state points together with the latest arrest of an alleged kingpin of a global drug cartel, Jaffer Sadiq who was expelled from the ruling celebration and steep improve in property taxes.
On the Cauvery challenge, EPS has been pointedly asking why Stalin couldn’t “convey Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu” regardless of being within the INDIA alliance, because the Congress celebration, the principal constituent of the bloc is helming Karnataka. Palaniswami describes himself as a farmer who understands the travails of ryots.
Nonetheless, EPS has not been very vocal in criticising the Centre and has confined himself to pick out themes like nationwide events, be it the Congress or BJP, saying they don’t seem to be involved about guarding the pursuits of Tamil Nadu and Cauvery challenge.
As if to compensate, second-rung AIADMK leaders like C Ve Shanmugam are nevertheless abrasive on the subject of the BJP and its state chief Annamalai.
Although Chief Minister Stalin mocked the AIADMK days in the past for not with the ability to specify who should govern the nation and who shouldn’t, an astute Palaniswami had stated approach again in January that there was no have to challenge a PM face to hunt votes in LS polls.
EPS, addressing the “Vellattum Mathasarbinmai” (Let secularism win) rally of SDPI had requested if Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy had a ‘PM face’ to hunt votes.
It stays to be seen if EPS, aided by a sturdy celebration equipment throughout the state, will reach his recreation plan to reposition himself because the indispensable and undisputed AIADMK chief.
The AIADMK is contesting in 34 LS segments and its ally, the DMDK is within the fray in 5 seats. SDPI’s VMS Mohamed Mubarak and Puthiya Tamizhagam chief Okay Krishnasamy are contesting within the AIADMK’s Two leaves image from Dindigul and Tenkasi respectively. Tamil Nadu has 39 LS constituencies which fits to polls on April 19.
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – PTI)
