Southern States - Tamil Nadu

MDMK will contest in Vaniyambadi, Saidapet

By R.K. Radhakrishnan

ERODE April 27. The MDMK will field candidates for the Assembly byelections in Vaniyambadi and Saidapet, where the key NDA ally, DMK, is also likely to contest.

In another move which can have a far-reaching impact on the State-level understanding among NDA partners, the MDMK will not put up a candidate for the Acharapakkam seat, party sources said.

The PMK founder, S. Ramadoss, who made it clear that his party would contest in Acharapakkam — it won the seat in alliance with the AIADMK in 2001 — had written to NDA partners and leaders of the Congress, the TMC and Left parties, seeking their support.

The MDMK seems to think that its `quick reaction' in deciding to support the PMK at Acharapakkam will not be lost on that party. This despite the PMK having announced earlier that it would leave the choice of candidates in the other two constituencies to the DMK.

There seems to be unanimity among the partners on the PMK's case for Acharapakkam, but this does not extend to the seats the DMK could contest. The MDMK, in any case, is unwilling to give up contesting the other two seats.

The troubles between the BJP and the DMK could not have come at a better time for the MDMK, which is smarting under the `stealing' of its Andipatti candidate. The DMK's candidate, Vaigai Sekar, who lost to the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, was with the MDMK and contested the seat earlier.

The May 31 byelections and strategies to be adopted came up for discussions at a meeting of district secretaries and the political affairs and administrative committees of the MDMK, here. The general council will deliberate tomorrow on the issues that were discussed by the committees.

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