Civic polls to throw up third force in TN?

TIRUCHY: With the announcement of the PMK that it would form an alternative front under its leadership to contest the local body polls, the fight to emerge as the third force in the State has intensified.Vijaykanth’s DMDK has recently vacated this place as it is a part of the AIADMK front now and the Congress which was the third force ever since the formation of the AIADMK has been struggling to recover from its rout in the last Assembly polls.The PMK, MDMK and possibly the Congress are preparing to prove themselves as the third force in Tamil Nadu, especially at a time when the opposition DMK is losing ground.Occupying the third spot in the State politics has become very crucial at the present juncture, as any party proving to be the third force, can hope to displace the declining DMK and emerge as the major opposition. It can also lay claim to be accepted as the leader of an alternative front.Although, individual popularity decides the result of elections at the rural areas, with most of the seats, likely to be won by independents, the strength of political parties is a major factor in the urban areas.At the moment, Vaiko’s MDMK, is keen to prove its strength in the local body elections. The MDMK which was routed in the 1996 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, made a comeback in the local body elections during the same year, prompting the AIADMK to forge an alliance with it for the 1998 Lok Sabha elections.A similar or better show this time could help the party to build its vote base, after its boycott in the last Assembly elections. The party has made its intentions of displacing the DMK clear, with assertions that it will emerge as the ‘real DMK’ in future.The PMK has been a part of a major alliance from the 1998 Parliament elections. The party had a successful run till the 2006 Assembly elections and the party was seen as a vital component of any winning combination.However, the fortunes saw a downswing from the 2009 Parliament elections, when the party performed poorly, losing all the seven MP seats it contested. Again, its alliance with the DMK in the last Assembly elections proved a disaster.Now, the party leader S Ramadoss had vowed not to have any truck with the Dravidian parties including the MDMK. He may join hands with Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and other smaller parties. It isclear that Ramadoss is eyeing the spot of the third force in Tamil Nadu, recently vacated by Vijaykanth’s DMDK, who is now part of the AIADMK front.While the MDMK has a uniform base in all the districts, the PMK vote share is concentrated in north and western Tamil Nadu. The party is seriously working to regain its strength in the eastern districts.The performance in the civic poll, besides indicating the relative strength of parties, will also determine their areas of influence.The Congress which was the third force in Tamil Nadu, ever since the formation of the AIADMK, has slowly yielded its place to the new arrivals, the DMDK, PMK and MDMK.After a debacle in the recent Assembly elections, the Congress too is under pressure to prove and build its strength from the grassroots level. But, whether the party joins the race for the third force remains uncertain, given its equations with the DMK. If the Congress too enters the race, the fight for the third force itself will become triangular.