Vijayakanth rewrites political script for TN assembly polls

In a decision that radically alters the election scenario in Tamil Nadu which has been polarized between the formations led by the Dravidian majors, DMDK chief Vijayakanth on Thursday appeared to steer clear of al the other parties to take on the might of the ruling AIADMK.

The Captain’s stand also appeared to be a setback to the hopes of the BJP , perceived as a friendly foe of the AIADMK, which was stridently woo ing Vijayakanth. “I thank leaders of all parties who visited me at my home in search of alliances,” Vijayakanth said in a politically correct statement which indicated that he did not wish to burn any bridges and was open to a post-poll cooperation.

While Vijayakanth’s announce ment sent political circles into a tizzy the BJP seemed to read the announce ment as a positive sign. “I welcome Vijayakanth’s decision and hope he sticks to it,” BJP national secretary H Raja said from Delhi where the party is gearing up to hold its two-day na tional executive meeting from March 19 to deliberate on the elections scheduled in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry . The DMDK, which contested alone in the 1996 assembly polls to win just one seat and bagged 29 seats in alliance with the AIADMK in the 2011 elections, will field candidates in all 234 constituencies, Vijayakanth said, addressing the party’s women’s rally in Chennai convened by his wife Premalatha who has not concealed her preference for a tie-up with the NDA in recent months.

A determined looking Vijayakanth seeking to assert his original image as an honest crusader against corruption and misgovernance, a character he has portrayed in some of his films, said, “I need no teacher to advise me on alliances and don’t have any confusion when I say I want to contest alone.”

Taking a dig at the media, he said he has been portrayed as a mercenary wheeler-dealer trying to improve his bargaining position and also as a leader in demand from all political quarters.Vijayakanth said he had not indulged in any such exercise but had only weighed his options taking the cadres, the party’s legislators and leaders into confidence. In appearing to strike out on his own, the Captain seemed to reclaim the space that catapulted him into the limelight in 2006 as an emerging, non-corrupt alternative to the main Dravidian parties.