Election Campaign

The MDMK is said to have three options in the eventuality of AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa remaining firm on her stand. Apart from going it alone, the party is apparently considering an alliance with either the BJP or with Vijayakanth’s DMDK. Political circles were agog with speculation that the MDMK chief, Vaiko, had already established contacts with the BJP though the latter denied it.

Admitting that such a theory was doing the rounds, a BJP spokesperson maintained that the MDMK had not approached the party so far. The AIADMK leadership’s offer of three seats had apparently caused heartburn among the rank and file of the MDMK which was initially demanding seven seats on a par with the PMK but is now willing to settle for five.

AIADMK leaders Panneerselvam and Jayakumar held talks with Vaiko at the latter’s residence on Tuesday but no breakthrough was made. DMDK sources said no party had established contacts with it yet. Though Vijayakanth had already hit the campaign trail declaring that his alliance was only with the people, the possibility of accommodating some parties could be explored if the situation arose. The AIADMK, which aims to play a major role in the formation of the next government, is bargaining hard to limit its seats to the allies.