Chennai: Despite a not-so-impressive show in
the just concluded civic polls, DMDK and PMK on Saturday put up a
brave face, saying people normally vote for the ruling party
in the civic polls.
"It is normal for the ruling party to win local body polls.
People are justified in believing that only if they vote for
the ruling party will the government's welfare schemes reach
them. It is natural for them to place their faith on the
present government, which is only five months old," DMDK
founder Vijayakant said in a statement here.
Holding that DMDK had charted its own course in Tamil Nadu
polity, he claimed that his party had made good in-roads in
many parts of the state.
"A farmer does not give up because crops failed once.
Similarly DMDK will continue to work for the poor," the former
ally of AIADMK who parted ways following failure of seat
sharing talks for the civic polls, said.
Ramadoss, whose party did not win any of the 10 corporations,
held that the number of seats won by his party, numbering
around 360 till reports last came in, showed that PMK "could
not be ignored."
"Dravidian parties (DMK and AIADMK) spent money and
offered many freebies," he alleged in a statement adding State
Election Commission (SEC) also favoured the ruling party.
There was a "new trend," of votes being 'purchased' which
had led to elections becoming a gamble, he alleged.
"PMK will take efforts to establish an intellectual
society sans such practices," he said.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, October 22, 2011, 15:34