The CPI has decided to throw its weight behind the AIADMK, albeit indirectly for the forthcoming Sankarankovil bypoll, scheduled for March 18, which was necessitated due to the demise of AIADMK minister C. Karuppaswamy.
With the CPI(M) having decided to support DMDK candidate of Vijayakanth, all eyes were on the CPI, though both the Left parties don’t command any influence in the constituency. According to sources, the party will not officially make an announcement favouring the AIADMK but informally an agreement has been reached with the major Dravidian party backing its candidate.
This is the first time since 1989, that the left parties have parted ways for either an Assembly or a Lok Sabha seat. In the 1989 Assembly polls, CPI(M) went along with the DMK and the CPI stood by the Jayalalithaa faction-led AIADMK. And in the last held local body polls, CPI(M) hitched on to the DMDK bandwagon and CPI contested alone. But both the Left parties were part of the AIADMK-led coalition in the 2011 Assembly polls.
With this development, the battle for Sankarankovil will be a multi-cornered contest comprising the AIADMK, the DMK, the MDMK, DMDK and the BJP. The Congress has announced its support for DMK candidate J. Jawahar Suryakumar. While the AIADMK has fielded former chairperson of the Sankarankovil municipality Muthuselvi as its candidate, Mr K. Muthukumar is contesting on the DMDK ticket. The BJP has entered the fray by announcing the name of L. Murugan and MDMK has thrown its hat into the ring by fielding former MLA Sathan Thirumalai Kumar.
This is the first election held in the state after a spate of highly controversial decisions taken by chief minister Jayalalithaa like increasing the price of milk and hiking the bus fares and the recent police encounter involving people of North Indian states. Shortage of power all over the state is an issue that is rankling the electorate. But the fact of the matter is that politicians cutting across party lines privately concede that it is a cakewalk for the AIADMK. In any case, the outcome of the bypoll will in no way pose a threat to the Jayalalithaa government, which enjoys an absolute majority in the 234-member Assembly.