Gear up for 2021 Assembly polls, Vijayakant to DMDK members

Maintaining that the DMDK, launched on September 14, 2005, in Madurai, has carved a niche for itself in Tamil Nadu politics, Vijayakant said the cadres should strive to deliver the best results.

Chennai: Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) founder Vijayakant on Monday urged his party members to gear up for the Assembly election scheduled next year and ensure a great victory.

Maintaining that the DMDK, launched on September 14, 2005 in Madurai, has carved a niche for itself in Tamil Nadu politics, Vijayakant said the cadres should strive to deliver the best results.

"The DMDK should gear up for the coming Assembly elections in 2021 and ensure a great victory and serve the people. We have to be ready for that," Vijayakant, who hoisted his party flag during the founding day celebrations said.

As his party stepped into its 16th year, the DMDK founder asked party workers to reach out to the have nots.

He hoisted the party flag in the presence of his wife and DMDK treasurer Premalatha, and cadres at the party office in Koyambedu.

Ahead of the celebrations, he had said in a statement that the people of Tamil Nadu have been suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed several lives, for the last six months.

"The DMDK members should continue to provide various kinds of assistance to the poor and needy, as they have been doing all these months, and also strive for the development of Tamil Nadu," he said.

The party had unsuccessfully contested all the 234 seats in the state in the 2006 Assembly polls, but only Vijayakant managed to win from Vridhachalam constituency.

In 2011, DMDK won 29 seats in the then assembly election in alliance with the AIADMK and Vijayakant became the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.

The party lost dismally in the 2016 polls as a constituent of the People's Welfare Front (PWF), the others being MDMK and the two Left parties.

Vijayakant was projected as PWF's chief ministerial candidate. The party joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last year to fight the Lok Sabha polls but lost all the four seats it contested.

(PTI)