Tiruchy: Will Captain force triangular contest?

TIRUCHY: With DMDK leader Vijaykanth announcing his party candidates for all the nine Mayor seats that goes to polls on October 17, party’s functionaries on Friday indicated that they were ready to contest the Tiruchy West by-poll, if the leadership decided to do so.To a query on whether the party would field a candidate in the by-election, district secretary AR Vijayarajan curtly said ‘we will contest, if the leadership decided to do so’.The district leader did not rule out the possibility of his party entering the fray for the by-poll. He also added in an assertive tone, ‘we are ready to face any situation’.The DMDK has polled 9.39 per cent votes in Tiruchy-I and 9.36 per cent in Tiruchy-II during the 2006 Assembly elections. After the delimitation process, Tiruchy West had been carved out mostly from Tiruchy-II.In the 2011 Assembly elections, AIADMK candidate N Mariam Pitchai secured 77,492 votes (50.3 per cent), with the support of the DMDK.  The DMK candidate and former minister KN Nehru obtained 70,313 votes (45.64 per cent).The votes of the DMDK candidate in the 2006 Assembly elections is more than the difference (4.77 per cent) between the two parties in the last elections. Now, the candidate of the AIADMK during the last election was stronger than the present one.However, the DMK too has lost its partner, the Congress and the ground situation has altered a lot.Also, the general trend in by-elections in Tamil Nadu favours the ruling party, since the voters feel that only a ruling party candidate could develop their constituency.Most of the DMK functionaries, including the party nominee KN Nehru, are in prison at the moment and this may hamper its field activities.For the DMK, a triangular contest is better than a straight fight. It is said the party  made a last hour decision to field its candidate in the by-poll, when the prospects of a split in the AIADMK-DMDK alliance looked bright.  The party leaders could also have considered the possibility of a triangular contest in the by-election, prompting a belated decision.