Vijay-led TVK likely to come second in TN Assembly polls: Cong MP Jothimani

Karur (Tamil Nadu) Mar 6 (PTI) Congress MP Jothimani on Friday said actor-politician Vijay-led TVK is likely to emerge as main opposition party, pushing the AIADMK to a distant third in the forthcoming Assembly polls.

She also said the AIADMK is losing its relevance in India.

"As far as I am concerned, we can see that he (Vijay) has the support of the youth a lot. I definitely think there is a chance for Vijay to come to second place," she told reporters here.

On AIADMK, the Karur MP said, "It is not just that they will go to third place; this will be the last election that a party called AIADMK faces in Tamil Nadu." The Congress leader further asserted that the electoral arithmetic would favour new entrants over those aligned with the BJP.

"The people of Tamil Nadu will never vote for an alliance that includes the BJP," she stated.

The AIADMK is heading the NDA in Tamil Nadu. Its constituents include BJP, PMK (Anbumani factor), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK).

On the internal dynamics of the DMK-led alliance, Jothimani acknowledged that while various partners have "just demands" regarding power-sharing, the primary objective remains defeating the BJP.

"An alliance is for the future of Tamil Nadu, the growth of Tamil Nadu, and a situation to save Tamil Nadu from those who run a bad government like the BJP," she said.

She admitted that the Congress has had to make concessions to maintain the coalition's strength.

"I think even the Congress party has had to make some sacrifices. I think that is what we have done. As a responsible party, we sometimes have to make such calls," she noted.

Allies DMK and Congress sealed their seat-sharing deal for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly polls on Wednesday, effectively putting to rest speculations that questioned the continuance of their alliance as power-sharing demand by some in the national party had threatened to derail ties.

After rounds of negotiations, the DMK allotted 28 Assembly seats to the Congress and one Rajya Sabha seat for the March 16 biennial election.

Urging the alliance partners to focus on the upcoming polls, she said, "Since the alliance has now come into practice, we should look at how to face the election and win. Because Tamil Nadu and India are facing a great danger." PTI JR JR KH