DMDK list of seats ready

DMDK leaders Vijayakanth and Panruti Ramachandran with AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa at her residence in Chennai.


After two nights of hectic negotiations with the AIADMK, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), led by actor Vijayakant, finalised on Sunday the constituencies it will contest in the April-13 Assembly elections.

The DMDK has been allotted 41 constituencies. The list is likely to be released on Monday along with the seats to be contested by the AIADMK. AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa is due to release her party's list of candidates on Monday.

“It was a marathon negotiation. We have finalised the seats and handed over the list to our founder-leader Vijayakant,” said Panruti S. Ramachandaran, the party's presidium chairman. He was accompanied by the party's youth wing leader L K Sudheesh in the negotiations.

Mr. Ramachandran said that after getting Mr. Vijayakant's approval, the list would once again be forwarded to AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa for release.

After Thursday's turmoil in the alliance over the “unilateral” release of the AIADMK candidates' list for 160 seats – since withdrawn –, the talks with allies for identifying constituencies began on Friday evening and continued till the early hours of Saturday.

Though the AIADMK could finalise the constituencies with the CPI, CPI (M) and smaller allies, no agreement could be reached with the DMDK.

Once again Mr. Ramachandran and Mr. Sudheesh visited Ms. Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden residence on Saturday evening for talks even as the AIADMK tried to retain the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) in its alliance.

It was exactly 5 am on Sunday when Mr. Ramachandran and Mr. Sudheesh emerged from the Poes Garden residence of Ms Jayalalithaa and informed mediapersons about the completion of talks. Just an hour earlier, the MDMK had decided against contesting the elections.

Source : thehindu.cm

DMDK gets 41 seats in poll pact with AIADMK

DMDK leader Vijayakant with AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa at her residence in Chennai on Friday.


Vijayakant meets Jayalalithaa at her residence

The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) led by actor Vijayakant will contest 41 seats as part of the AIADMK alliance in the Assembly elections on April 13.

The number of seats allotted to the DMDK was finalised after a meeting between AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa and DMDK president Vijayakant at the former's Poes Garden residence on Friday night.

While Mr. Vijayakant, who was accompanied his party presidium chairman Panruti S. Ramachandran and youth wing secretary L. K. Sudheesh, left without speaking to the media, a brief statement from Ms. Jayalalithaa's residence disclosed the seat-sharing agreement.

“The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam entered into a seat-sharing agreement with the DMDK and the party has been allotted 41 seats,” the statement said.

Mr. Vijayakant, who came to Ms. Jayalalithaa's residence around 9.25 p.m, had a nearly half-an-hour meeting with her.

The Left parties and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the other major parties in the AIADMK front, are likely to be invited for seat-sharing talks in the next few days.

Left leaders said they were told that a pact would be sealed with them on Friday, but it did not materialise as negotiations with DMDK could be completed only in the evening.

This is the first time that the DMDK, set up in 2005 by the veteran Tamil actor, is entering into an electoral alliance. Contesting alone, the party had polled a little over eight per cent in the 2006 Assembly elections and over 10 per cent in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Source: The Hindu

Jayalalithaa gives Vijayakanth's DMDK 41 seats

March 04, 2011
Chennai: Putting at rest all speculation, DMDK on Friday evening signed a poll pact with the main opposition party AIADMK, led by Jayalalithaa, to contest the Tamil Nadu assembly elections scheduled for April 13.

DMDK founder-president Vijayakanth along with party presidium chairman Panruti Ramachandran and Youth wing secretary Sudheesh called on Jayalalithaa at her Poes Garden residence in Chennai, to cement the pact under which the party had been allotted 41 seats, a joint statement released to the media said.

On February 24, actor-politician Vijayakanth's DMDK had launched formal poll parleys with AIADMK to "oust DMK from power". Though backdoor negotiations were going on for some time, it was the first time that leaders of both parties had met to initiate poll talks.

Though Vijayakanth has been consistently holding that his alliance was only with the people and no other political party, the DMDK, however, opted for tie up under pressure from party cadres.

Founded in 2005 by Vijayakanth, DMDK made its debut in 2006 Assembly elections, with Vijayakanth winning from the Viruddhachalam seat, even as his party polled 8 per cent popular votes.

However, the party's performance in the subsequent by-polls and 2009 Lok Sabha polls were sub-par, even as it played spoilsport to AIADMK's prospects by splitting the votes.

Source: NDTV

Vijayakanth leads DMDK cadres in seeking tickets

CHENNAI: Ahead of a seat sharing deal with the AIADMK, actor Vijayakanth on Wednesday kicked off the exercise of receiving applications for party tickets for the assembly elections by filling up an application form himself at the DMDK headquarters.

The Captain appeared to be a stickler for procedures as he submitted his application to the DMDK presidium chairman Panruti S Ramachandran, following which, party aspirants for tickets also started filling up their forms. On day one, the party received more than 1,000 applications, indicating the upbeat mood in the party. Party youth wing secretary LK Sudhish said there were 500 applications in Vijayakanth's name alone. However, it is not known as to which segment Vijayakanth himself has applied for. He was elected from Vriddachalam segment in 2006.

The DMDK will receive applications from aspirants till March 5 and start their interviews on March 7. Candidates are expected to be announced on March 9, said party sources.

The AIADMK and the DMDK are expected to finalise their deal on Friday. DMDK sources said the AIADMK offered 41 assembly seats and one Rajya Sabha seat, but their party was not keen on the RS seat and instead wanted 48 assembly seats.

AIADMK sources, however, said the party would not be able to increase the number of seats to the DMDK as it had to accommodate the MDMK, Left parties and other small parties. Loyal partner and MDMK leader Vaiko expected minimum 25 seats and Left parties have also pitched in with a similar demand, said a senior leader.

AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa is understood to have told her alliance partners that her party would like to contest a minimum of 140 seats in this election because only then can they hope to get a majority in the state assembly.

In a lighter vein, but striking a serious note, Vijayakanth remarked that the election and counting dates of April 13 and May 13 indicated the "play of the Devil" as 13 is considered an inauspicious and unlucky number. "So this is an opportunity to get rid of the evil government," he quipped attacking the ruling DMK.
Source:articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

DMDK ups stake, now wants 50 seats

CHENNAI: In the wake of the PMK joining the DMK-led front, actor Vijayakanth's DMDK has hardened its stand. The party is demanding 50 seats for clinching a pact with the AIADMK for the assembly elections. The DMDK, which had agreed to the AIADMK's offer of 41 seats a week ago, has increased the demand after the PMK signed a poll deal with the DMK.

"We had agreed to 41 seats earlier as we were given to understand that the PMK might join the AIADMK front. Even a meeting between Vijayakanth and Jayalalithaa was scheduled for 4.30pm on February 18. He cancelled the meeting on learning that PMK leader S Ramadoss had struck a deal with DMK chief M Karunanidhi," a senior DMDK leader said.

So far, several rounds of negotiations have taken place between the AIADMK and the DMDK. Though Panruti S Ramachandran, L K Sudhish and K Pandia Rajan represented the DMDK, and O Paneerselvam and KA Sengottaiyan the AIADMK in the initial meetings, all subsequent meetings were between Sudhish and Sengottaiyan or Sudhish and Jayalalithaa's confidante Sasikalaa. Initially the DMDK demanded 67 seats and the AIADMK offered 32. Later, the AIADMK increased its offer to 35 seats after the DMDK brought down its demand to 60.

The DMDK has even submitted a wish list of 67 assembly constituencies to the AIADMK. These include 54 constituencies where the party secured more than 12.5% votes in the last parliamentary polls, said a senior party leader. He expressed hope that the "deal could be closed with the AIADMK in a couple of days."

Within the party, Vijayakanth has also shortlisted 30 candidates including Panruti, Pandia Rajan and S Austin, Kanyakumari district secretary of the party. The actor himself will contest, but the constituency is not yet finalised, sources said.

Meanwhile, the AIADMK is learnt to have finalised deals with a host of small parties. It signed a pact with the All India Forward Bloc by conceding one seat on Wednesday. The Indian National League, actor M Karthik's Agila India Nadalum Makkal Katchi and director Seeman's Naam Thamizhar Iyakkam could be given one seat each. Actor R Sarath Kumar's Agila India Samathuva Makkal Katchi could be given two seats. All India Moovendar Munnani Kazhagam was given one seat earlier. All these parties are expected to contest on the AIADMK symbol.

The AIADMK is likely to give one more seat to the Puthiya Thamizhagam, which has been demanding more seats. The PT was given two seats earlier. The Manithaneya Makkal Katchi was given three seats recently. Jayalalithaa has offered 16 seats to the MDMK, 13 to the CPM and 10 to the CPI. While the Left parties had contested the same number of seats as part of the DMK alliance in 2006, the MDMK had contested 35. Jayalalithaa is leaving for Chamundi temple in Mysore on her birthday on Thursday.

Source:http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com