In a social media post, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday claimed that the AIADMK’s decision to ‘boycott’ the Vikravandi assembly by-election was due to ‘instructions from the top.’
The Edapaddi K Palansiwami-headed party has been asked to skip the by-poll to ‘facilitate’ the chances of the BJP-led NDA, the ruling coalition at the Centre, alleged Chidambaram.
“The decision is a clear evidence that it (AIADMK) has received instructions from the ‘top’ to facilitate the electoral chances of the NDA candidate (PMK). Both the BJP and AIADMK are fighting the battle through a proxy. The INDIA bloc must ensure the resounding victory of the DMK candidate,” the ex-Union minister posted on X (previously Twitter).
The PMK, a Tamil Nadu-based constituent of the NDA, has fielded C Anbumani as the alliance’s joint nominee, for the July 10 by-poll, which was necessitated by the demise of N Pugazhenthi, the assembly seat’s sitting legislator from chief minister MK Stalin-led DMK. The counting of votes will be conducted on July 13.
AIADMK, a former ally of the BJP, on Saturday declared that it will not contest the by-election, saying that the exercise would not take place in a ‘free and fair’ manner.
In the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls, the INDIA bloc won all 39 parliamentary seats of Tamil Nadu, of which the DMK and Congress contributed 22 and nine seats, respectively. Additionally, V Vaithilingam of the Congress party defeated BJP’s A Namassivayam in the lone Lok Sabha seat in the neighbouring Puducherry Union territory.
Meanwhile, the BJP said that the AIADMK is ‘scared’ of being ‘exposed.’
“It is very clear that BJP has pushed the AIADMK to third position. They know that we are very strong and they are afraid that they will be exposed in these mid-term polls. As an opposition party, they should have contested this election. In politics, you need to fight. It is clear that you (AIADMK) have lost the will to fight,” asserted state BJP vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy.