The bypoll to five Assembly seats in August is an opportunity for the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) to prove its mettle that it is a party on the rise. For the party,which since its inception five years ago,has staked claim to the legacy of matinee idol and former chief minister M G Ramachandran,the bypoll boycott by MGRs own AIADMK is undoubtedly a boost. If MGRs die-hard fans decide to cast their votes,the DMDK can project itself as a strong claimant. In fact,the pitch has already begun. Introducing the candidates fielded by his party in Madurai,party founder and actor Vijayakanth said MGR loyalists should vote for a better party like they did for MGR continuously for a decade till his death. The actor,also known as Black MGR,presented his party as a viable alternative to Opposition leader J Jayalalithaas AIADMK and as a credible opposition to Chief Minister M Karunanidhis DMK. The DMK could not come to power when MGR was alive, he said to drive home the point. In this election,the outcome of which has been termed a foregone conclusion by Jayalalithaa,the DMDK has emerged as a contender to the DMK-Congress combine,though a win looks beyond its reach at this point of time. In its first election,the 2006 Assembly polls,Vijayakanth was the lone MLA from his party. But the party garnered over eight per cent votes. Last Lok Sabha elections,it touched double figures,with nine out of the 40 candidates crossing one-lakh vote mark and another seven polling over 80,000 votes. However,beyond the gradual rise in numbers,the party has remained a bits and pieces player who can at best be a spoilsport. The August 18 bypoll is,thus,an opportunity for the party to make its mark,even if it is aided by the boycott of all Opposition parties,barring the Left. The CPM and the CPI have fielded candidates in all the five seats to record democratic opposition,though leaders in private admit that these parties have only skeletal presence in many of the constituencies. Even after announcing their decision to boycott the bypolls,the Opposition parties have charted plans for a hectic campaign,urging voters not to vote. After questioning the need to conduct an election that has been shunned by the Opposition,the parties are keen to keep the voting percentage to the lowest possible to back their claim. For the AIADMK,in particular,stopping the DMDK from garnering votes will be one of the top concerns. Jayalalithaa has instructed party members to go to the people and explain reasons for the boycott. Though DMDK leaders are upbeat expecting a good show,the vote it garners will stay academic till it truly emerges as a political force,said an observer. The anti-ruling combine votes it gets,he reasoned,need not add to his core vote bank and will return to the respective major parties during the next election. Unlike his more celebrated predecessors like MGR or NTR,or even contemporary Chiranjeevi,Vijayakanth has not been the undisputed king of the local film industry and is,thus,not burdened with an expectation to repeat box office success in the electoral ring. In his political avatar,the action star seems to be ready for the long haul till time and number are on his side.
