Chennai, March 23: Actorturned-politician Vijayakanth today aligned with the People's Welfare Front consisting of the MDMK, VCK, CPM and the CPI, which agreed to project him as the chief ministerial candidate.
"This front is the real alternative to both the AIADMK and the DMK and will be called Captain Vijayakanth Front. We will form a coalition government headed by Vijayakanth," declared MDMK leader Vaiko.
According to an agreement signed by the two sides, Vijaykanth's DMDK will contest 124 seats and the other four constituents 110.
This means the state will likely see a four-cornered contest among the AIADMK, DMK, Vijayakanth Front and the PMK. The BJP, which had hoped to woo Vijayakanth, is now expected to join the PMK front. If that happens, all the four fronts would have declared their chief ministerial candidates - Jayalalithaa for AIADMK, Karunanidhi for DMK, Vijayakanth for his front and Anbumani Ramadoss for the PMK.
By agreeing to a coalition government, Vijayakanth has opened up the possibility of a non-AIADMK, non-DMK government in the state that has seen only single-party rule by either of the two parties since 1967. Even in 2006 when the DMK did not have majority, it ran a single-party government with outside support from the Congress and the PMK.
The DMDK, CPM and the CPI were part of the AIADMKled alliance in 2011 while the VCK was with the DMK front. Vaiko's MDMK had boycotted the elections after Vijayakanth's arrival reduced him to a minor role in the AIADMK front.
By accepting Vijayakanth, who entered politics only in 2005, senior leaders like Vaiko and those from the Left parties are pinning hopes on a leader known to have no ideological moorings and infamous for boorish public behaviour - he has publicly assaulted a party MLA and workers.
"He will end up embarrassing them during the campaign and they will rue their choice of Vijayakanth as chief ministerial candidate," said K. Pandiarajan, an ex-DMDK MLA.
But VCK leader Thirumavalavan said: "Vijayakanth's unequivocal stand against corruption of the DMK and AIADMK makes him the ideal choice as chief ministerial candidate."
