By IANS,
Chennai: Slighted by Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party, Vaiko’s MDMK Sunday said it had snapped links with the AIADMK and will not take part in assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The MDMK said it was hurt by the “arrogant attitude” of AIADMK general secretary and former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and decided it was not feasible to remain in the AIADMK-led alliance.
But the MDMK ruled out the formation of a third front or contesting alone. It said it would boycott the April 13 elections.
According to MDMK, it initially asked for 35 of the 234 seats to contest. It scaled down the number to 30. But the AIADMK offered only six seats.
Later, the AIADMK increased its offer to nine seats while MDMK scaled down its demand to 21. But the AIADMK remained adamant, leading to Vaiko’s parting of ways.
The AIADMK has sealed seat-sharing agreements with 10 parties for 74 seats and announced its candidates for the remaining 160.
A MDMK leader told IANS that the party felt that the AIADMK was in no mood to accommodate Vaiko — Jayalalithaa’s oldest ally.
The AIADMK feels that Vaiko — a former DMK stalwart and a vocal supporter of Sri Lanka’s vanquished Tamil Tigers — is a spent force, with many of his senior colleagues deserting him.