Chennai: DMDK leader Vijayakanth on Monday started discussions with party district secretaries on measures to strengthen the party for local body elections.
After a rout in the Assembly elections and finishing in the fourth place in most of the constituencies in northern districts behind its arch rival, the PMK, Vijayakanth is looking to give a better performance in the local body elections. The DMDK, which went alone in the 2011 local body elections after severing ties with the AIADMK had polled ten per cent votes.
It also showed eight to 10 per cent votes in the 2006 Assembly elections and 2009 Parliament elections. But, now the party had got only 2.4 per cent votes. The DMDK which used to do well in the Vanniyar dominated districts of Vellore, Tiruvannamalaai, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri had been pushed to the fourth place in most of the Assembly seats in the districts by the PMK, which contested alone. The DMDK had aligned with the People’s Welfare Alliance in the Assembly elections.
About 200 functionaries from Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur districts, where the party once commanded over 10 per cent votes, took part in the deliberations on Monday. He also discussed his plans to tour around Tamil Nadu and meet people. Party sources said his meeting with party functionaries would continue till June 21.
The party will celebrate the actor’s birthday on August 25 and Vijayakanth is likely to begin his tour after the celebrations. He will tour around the State before the civic body elections.
