Tamil Maanila Congress to face local body polls alone

Chennai: Ending its alliance with DMDK-PWF combine forged for the May 16 Assembly poll, the GK Vasan-led Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) today announced its decision to face the upcoming local body polls by itself, also scotching speculations of a tie-up with DMK.

Party chief Vasan said that efforts had been on in the party for the last three months to face the local-body polls single-handedly.

"Based on that, now a conducive atmosphere has emerged for us to face the local body polls by ourselves..Preparations are underway in the local units," for this purpose, he said.

He had joined the DMDK-PWF combine to take forward "decent" and "alternative politics" but the alliance failed in the elections as it did not have the time to reach out to people with its stated objectives, Vasan said in a statement.

Vasan's TMC had joined hands with Vijayakant-led DMDK and the four party People's Welfare Front (PWF), whose constituents are MDMK, CPI (M), CPI and VCK.

Referring to his attempts to stitch a pact with DMK for the local body polls, being held in two phases next month, he said that "we made an attempt in lines with the desires of the local leaders," but did not specify why the efforts did not materialise.

Vasan had recently called on DMK Treasurer M K Stalin, triggering speculations of an alliance for the local body elections.

Vasan, who quit Congress in 2014 post Lok Sabha polls before reviving his father GK Moopanar founded TMC, said that national parties in the state 'ignored' Tamil Nadu's interests while regional parties were not keen about national interests.

His party strived for both, he added.