COIMBATORE: Finalising ward-sharing details with more than five allies and identifying candidates in just a week before the close of nominations for the local body elections seem to have taken its toll on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), that heads the Democratic Progressive Alliance.

Contesting only in 37 of the 72 wards in the Corporation, the DMK appears to have put itself in a position where it will have to rely heavily on the allies if the party loses a few wards and needs support for its mayoral candidate.

The pressure of a large alliance seems to have cut down the number of wards for the DMK.

The mayorship is to be decided only after the elections. But, the DMK has taken everyone by surprise by not contesting more wards, while its rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is contesting in 52 wards.

The DMK had to share the wards with three national parties--Congress, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Even as the rival camp finalised its wards much ahead, the DMK could get a final picture only on the day of withdrawal of nominations.

What has caused surprise is that the ruling party in the State struggled to arrive at a decision and is contesting fewer seats than expected, especially when it is aiming for mayorship of a city rated in stature next only to Chennai.

Prominent question

A prominent question is why did the DMK go in for only 37 wards in such a prestigious Corporation, giving the Congress one ward more than the 25 per cent agreed by the party leaders earlier.

Not a bad bargain

The Congress has got 19, one seat more than the initial accord of 18. The DMK had been expected to contest 40 as it had in 1996 and 2001, according to party sources. But, 37 is not a bad bargain as the party is sure to win all these, they say.

The DMK won 35 out of the 40 wards it contested in 1996. It won only 16 in the next elections in 2001. With only one MLA from a district of 14 Assembly constituencies, the party had been expected to look for a stronger presence in the Council.

Of the five constituencies the Corporation areas fall under, two are totally within the city-- Coimbatore East and Coimbatore West. Coimbatore East has a DMK MLA and the other has one from the AIADMK (former Mayor T. Malaravan). Perur, Singanallur, and Thondamuthur were won by the AIADMK alliance. Sizeable parts of the Corporation come under these constituencies.

When the AIADMK has a significant presence in terms of Assembly segments, a tighter grip on the Corporation by the DMK had been expected in the run-up to the civic polls. If the public mood in the city during the Assembly elections extends to the local bodies, the AIADMK may be sitting pretty.

With infighting in the Congress and discontent in the DMK itself over lost opportunities, things are not altogether happy for the DMK and the DPA.

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