Now that the TVK government, led by actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay, has solidified its position in Tamil Nadu’s politics by winning its debut battle, speculations are rife about the party’s strategy in Trichy East, a seat won by Vijay himself. By-elections will be held soon in six constituencies in Tamil Nadu, including the Trichy East constituency.
Though Stalin appeared non-committal about whether or not he would contest from Trichy, stating he has not yet decided whether to contest the bypolls, the statement made by K.N Nehru has stoked rumours.“Chief Minister Vijay has asked Udayanidhi Stalin, ‘Where will we see your father’ in the Assembly. He will be in charge of the Assembly very soon. That is for sure,” Nehru was quoted by Tamil media.
The fact that he faced defeat from the Kolathur constituency, his stronghold, while he was still in office, came as a setback to DMK workers. Naturally, the party wants to regain some of the lost glory by bringing Stalin back to the Assembly. A resolution was also passed by the Trichy South District DMK, urging Stalin to contest in Trichy East. Stalin also reportedly held a meeting with senior party executives at the DMK headquarters in Chennai last week.
It is in this context that there is buzz that the TVK could bring in a strong candidate in the constituency. According to local media reports, the candidate is none other than MDMK general secretary Vaiko. The MDMK on Saturday announced that it was walking out of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance after being a part of it for nearly nine years. Vaiko said MDMK would support TVK in the Assembly by-elections and would also work towards a friendly relationship with the party in the local body elections.
When asked about his potential candidacy from Trichy East, Vaiko, however, rubbished the claims. He called the claims “imaginary” and “just guesses”, adding that he never dreamt about such a movie. “There is not even a one per cent chance. I will not do anything wrong like that,” Vaiko said.
Vaiko is also considered a suitable candidate for Trichy East as he has proved his mettle by winning the last Lok Sabha elections. He was the INDIA bloc’s candidate for Tiruchy and emerged victorious by securing about 5.4 lakh votes in the constituency.
