Chennai: Two allies of the DMK - the CPI and Dalits party VCK, on Tuesday reaffirmed their electoral understanding with the former after the leaders of the two parties met the DMK president M K Stalin separately at the party headquarters here.
The State CPI secretary, R Mutharasan after the meeting with Mr. Stalin told reporters that his party’s alliance with the DMK will continue in the Local Bodies also. Welcoming the DMK general council's resolutions, he said the CPI was for holding the panchayat and nagarpalika elections at the earliest though no schedule for holding the polls has been announced so far. “We will work united under the leadership of Mr. Stalin,” he added.
Also confirming his party’s continuing ties with the DMK, Mr. Tirumalvalavan said after his meeting with Mr. Stalin, that VCK welcomed the DMK general council resolution that urged the Centre to respect and protect the rights of the States. He also appreciated the DMK’s resolution seeking reservation in the private sector and said the DMK has stood firm when social justice was under onslaught.
“Our alliance with DMK will continue till the next Assembly elections and there is no doubt about that,” Tirumavalavan said, adding, his party would continue to contest as an ally of the DMK.
In a separate meeting, Sri Lanka Northern Province Governor, Kalanidhi Suren Raghavan, met the DMK leader at the latter’s residence here. He said the new direct flight from Chennai to Jaffna launched recently “is the beginning of new ties in people-to-people contacts.”
Meanwhile, DMK’s organising secretary R S Bharathi, ,MP, met the State Election Commissioner (SEC) and submitted a petition to him urging a slew of demands. They included that the government should appoint one IAS officer for each Revenue Division across Tamil Nadu to ensure “free and fair election” in the forthcoming Local Bodies polls.
The DMK’s other demands included conducting “region-wise phased manner election to prevent electoral malpractices”, and to print names of candidates in the ballot papers to be used for election of ward members, village panchayat presidents, union council members and district council members.
