Tamil Nadu: PMK exits AIADMK front, to go it alone in rural local body polls to 9 new districts

An 'unanimous' decision to this effect was taken at a virtual meeting 'considering the party's interests', PMK President and legislator G K Mani said in a statement and called for applications from aspiring candidates wishing to contest the rural Local body polls for nine districts.

PMK's decision to go it alone assumes significance as it has good Vanniyar vote base in seven of the nine districts that goes to polls.

He said the decision was endorsed by PMK Founder Dr S Ramadoss and Youth Wing leader and Rajya Sabha member Dr Anbumani Ramadoss.

By quitting the AIADMK front, PMK's three year alliance with AIADMK has come to an end.

PMK contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and this year's Assembly polls as part of the AIADMK-led alliance.

While the PMK, which had contested seven seats and drew a blank in the Lok Sabha polls, it had won five out of the 23 seats allotted to it by the AIADMK in the Assembly polls.

The PMK got a Rajya Sabha seat as part of the seat sharing agreement in 2019 and Dr Anbumani was elected to the Upper House of Parliament.

Reports said that the party had opted out of the AIADMK alliance as the latter had failed to keep its own party leaders under control and also did not follow the coalition dharma.

Taking objections to it, senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said while the PMK was free to walk out of the alliance, it could not comment on the internal affairs of the AIADMK.

"By exiting the AIADMK-led alliance it will be a loss only to the PMK and not for us," Jayakumar told reporters today, after paying floral tributes to late leader Anna on the arterial Anna Salai in the city.

He also said the DMK's failure to implement the poll promises will reflect in the rural local body polls to the nine new districts of Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram,

Villuppuram, Kallakurichi, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi.