Chennai, Oct 11 (IANS) Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan said the TVK-led alliance’s victories in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls reflected public support and asserted that his party’s voters had contributed to the outcome in both constituencies.
Speaking to reporters at the VCK office in Ashok Nagar, Chennai, he questioned attempts to attribute the alliance’s success entirely to a transfer of votes from the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).
Thirumavalavan said the most striking development, compared with the general election, was the substantial erosion of the AIADMK’s vote bank. The party had won both seats in the general election but suffered a major setback in the bypolls, he noted.
He suggested that voters might have been influenced by concerns over elected representatives changing their political allegiance after winning on an AIADMK ticket.
According to him, people may have questioned the usefulness of voting for the party again if its successful candidates were likely to switch sides subsequently. However, he said this possible explanation needed to be examined alongside other factors behind the decline.
A detailed assessment of the circumstances surrounding the AIADMK’s defeat was necessary before drawing conclusions about how its votes had dispersed among the contestants, he said.
Turning to the PMK, which had decided against backing any contestant, Thirumavalavan rejected the suggestion that its entire support base had voted for the TVK-led alliance. He questioned how a complete transfer of PMK votes could be assumed and said such a claim did not adequately explain the electoral outcome.
He also disputed the suggestion that the PMK’s voters had acted uniformly in favour of the winning alliance.
Thirumavalavan said attributing the victories to PMK support served to understate the VCK’s importance and its contribution in the two constituencies.
He maintained that VCK votes had helped the TVK-led alliance win both seats and said this contribution could be established when examining the results.
His remarks placed the distribution of votes, the AIADMK’s losses and the role of alliance partners at the centre of the discussion over the bypoll verdict.
On the wider political situation, Thirumavalavan said the DMK needed to join hands with the INDIA bloc to oppose the BJP. He stressed the need for political cooperation against the BJP while defending the VCK’s role in the recent electoral victories.
–IANS
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