Vijayakanth dumps DMK, BJP; joins hands with Vaiko-led for PWF for Tamil Nadu polls

Chennai: Wooed by multiple parties, actor-turned-politician and DMDK chief Vijayakanth finally chose to align with Vaiko-led People's Welfare Front for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

The decision was taken nearly two weeks after announcing that he would go it alone in the polls. Vijayakanth is now choosing to sail with the People's Welfare Front - a coalition of parties that includes Vaiko's MDMK, the Left parties and Dalit party - the VCK.

Vaiko said, "This alliance will be called Vijayakanth Front. I am the coordinator for the front. Vijayakanth is the chief ministerial candidate. We will form a coalition government."

As per the seat sharing agreement, the DMDK will now contest in 124 seats while the People's Welfare Front will contest in 110 seats. Courted by the BJP and the DMK, Vijayakanth's decision to choose the third front will come as a blow to both the parties.

DMK treasurer MK Stalin said, "The decision will not bother us in anyway."

Writer and analyst Gnani Shankaran said, "The logic behind the move is that Vijayakanth has to project himself as the chief ministerial candidate. Only then can he keep his flock together. All of them have their own ambitions."

Tamil Nadu will now see a multi-cornered fight. Those battling it out on May 16 will be the ruling AIADMK, the DMK-Congress alliance, People's Welfare Front led by Vijayakanth, Anbumani Ramadoss's PMK and the BJP.

Sankaran added, "10 years ago and 20 years ago no political party talked about being an alternative to the DMK and the AIADMK. But in this election we see at least five parties saying that they want to be an alternative to DMK and the AIADMK which means they are reflecting a popular mood."

For nearly 50 years Tamil Nadu has seen the Dravidian parties in power. Vijayakanth formed the DMDK in 2005 as an alternative to the DMK and the AIADMK. And although the actor-turned-politician aligned with the AIADMK in 2011 and then joined the NDA in 2014, the Captain now believes the time is right to be king and not kingmaker.