New Delhi: For the first time in decades, Tamil Nadu is likely to witness a solo performance during the next Lok Sabha elections by all major political parties in the state. The Congress's ally at the Centre for 10 years, the DMK has officially declared that it is not going to have an alliance with the Congress. It is also ruling out an alliance with the BJP. According to DMK chief M Karunanidhi, his party's relationship with the BJP is over with former prime minister AB Vajpayee.
Even though the DMK is attacking the Congress over Sri Lankan Tamil issues, the real reason for going solo is the 2G cases against its leaders A Raja and K Kanimozhi. The arrest and jailing of his favourite daughter Kanimozhi in the 2G scam has angered Karunanidhi so much that he does not want to align with Congress, even if he knows that he might lose. According to insiders, the DMK patriarch made up his mind to break the alliance with the Congress the day his daughter was arrested.
The wily old fox of Indian politics, Karunanidhi knows that the Congress is facing an uphill task in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He is also expecting that Narendra Modi-led BJP wave will hit the Congress hard. So, he wants to keep all his options open till the last minute.
DMK's refusal to shake hands with the Congress is forcing the grand old party to go alone in the Lok Sabha elections. Many of its local leaders also want the party to remain independent.
On the other hand AIADMK chief and chief minister J Jayalalithaa is also not ready to align with anybody. She has already made it clear that her party won't have any alliance with the BJP ahead of polls.
While Narendra Modi made some serious efforts to woo Jayalalithaa but his efforts failed. Like her arch rival Karunanidhi, she too wants to keep all her options open.
Her supporters believe that, in case of a Third Front government 'Amma' can become the prime minister. Even former prime minister HD Deve Gowda has backed her candidature recently.
Political analysts believe that the Congress will finally align with actor Vijaykanth-led DMDK. Other smaller parties like MDMK, VCK, PMK, DK and the Communist parties in the state are also facing a dilemma. They will have to go with either DMK or AIADMK to maintain their relevance in the state politics.
The third option is a Congress led grand alliance of smaller parties. Under the present circumstance, it may not materialise. If the situation stays as it is today, Tamil Nadu will see nearly a dozen political parties fighting with each other for the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Top Congress leader and Union finance minister P Chidambaram who is sitting MP from Shivaganga may find it difficult to take on both AIADMK and DMK at the same time. The BJP which has a negligible presence will also find it difficult to keep its relevance in the state, if it's forced go solo.
Long-time Tamil Nadu political observers feel that a solo performance will benefit the ruling AIADMK.
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