One More DMK Ally Snaps Ties Completely, Officially

Chennai: The IUML that won two Assembly seats in an alliance with the DMK but joined the TVK government in May with its Papanasam constituency representative A M Shahjahan becoming a Minister severed its ties completely with the DMK in ‘the changed political circumstances’ following the footsteps of the CPI and CPM.

Though the IUML, a long-time ally of the DMK in the State, distanced itself from the DMK after become part of the TVK government, a formal decision on snapping ties was taken at the party’s State Council meeting held at Royapuram in Chennai with national president K M Kadar Mohideen presiding over it on Saturday.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mohideen said that it was not possible to continue in the DMK-led coalition anymore and hence the decision to walk out of the alliance was taken. A decision on the future alliance of the party would be taken after the by-elections to the State Assembly and the local bodies were conducted.

Soon after the results of the Assembly elections came out on May 4, the IUML had said that it would remain with the DMK, come what may, even when other parties were drifting towards the TVK that had emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats on the pretext of avoiding the imposition of President’s Rule.

While the Congress that won five seats as a DMK ally was the first to throw its weight behind the TVK, other parties like the CPI and CPM extended their unconditional support to the government without leaving the DMK alliance.

The IUML, too, followed suit after a high-level committee meeting with religious leaders, community representatives and party functionaries on May 9 in Chennai and extended support to the government headed by C Joseph Vijay. Finally, the IUML made the decision to join the government on May 21.

Since the by-elections for six vacant seats  one vacated by Vijay as he had won two constituencies and the others resigned by AIADMK members who aspire to get re-elected from their respective constituencies in TVK tickets – are to be held soon, the IUML snapping ties is a blow to the DMK-led coalition.

The IUML leaving the alliance could also impact the results of the local body elections that would follow the by-elections. Since the local body polls are crucial for the DMK to re-establish its position in the State and the way the coalition has gone to smithereens with the CPI and CPM deciding to snap ties completely does not augur well for the DMK's electoral prospects.