Tamil Nadu Election 2021 Live News: DMK to release poll manifesto on March 11

President of the DMK M K Stalin will on March 11 release the party’s election manifesto for the upcoming assembly election. In an open letter to his cadre, Stalin said, “The manifesto will live up to the expectations of all sections of the society. It will emerge as the hero in the 2021 assembly poll. It will be like our leader Muthamil Arignar Kalaignar’s (M Karunanidhi) manifesto for the 2006 election.” Stalin said the manifesto would also contain his 10-year vision for TN and appealed to the cadre to take it to households across the state.

The BJP’s national general secretary and TN in-charge C T Ravi on Thursday welcomed V K Sasikala’s decision to quit politics. “Her decision will help fulfill Amma’s (Jayalalithaa) dream,” Ravi said. “Amma always dreamed of a united, strong AIADMK and a progressive, prosperous Tamil Nadu,” he said and expressed his wish for AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, like his aunt, to come forward to fulfill Jayalalithaa’s dreams.

General secretary of CPM Sitaram Yechury on Thursday hinted that the BJP was behind former chief minister Jayalalithaa’s close aide V Sasikala’s decision to quit politics. Responding to questions about the BJP’s role in the development, Yechury said, “Naturally BJP will welcome Sasikala’s decision,” and added that the media should probe the role of the BJP behind Sasikala taking such a decision. He was addressing reporters at the district party office in Coimbatore.

PMK founder-leader S Ramadoss and his son and former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss likely to speak about the manifesto in Chennai at 10am, an official statement said.

The BJP’s TN unit on Thursday petitioned the Election Commission of India urging that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi be restrained from campaigning in Tamil Nadu for the assembly polls. The former Congress president violated the model of conduct and tried to incite violence during his interaction with students of St Joseph’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Mulagumoodu of Kanyakumari district on March 1, state president of BJP L Murugan said in the petition.

We will contest on an independent symbol, says Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader after settling for six seats with leading partner DMK. "Though there was a disagreement among the party’s high level committee, VCK has decided to settle for six seats keeping the future of the state in mind. We don’t want to walk away from the DMK alliance as it will disturb the vote share of secular progressive alliance and strengthen AIADMK-BJP alliance," said Thiruma.

PMK president G K Mani on Wednesday announced that the party’s election manifesto will be released on Friday. The party, which has signed poll pact with the ruling AIADMK, will release its own manifesto. PMK founder-leader S Ramadoss and his son and former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss will speak about the manifesto in Chennai at 10am on the day of its release, an official statement said.

National general secretary of BJP C T Ravi on Wednesday categorically denied the party having a role in bringing the AIADMK and the AMMK together and said, “The AIADMK leaders (EPS and OPS) know the strength and weakness of Sasikala and Dhinakaran. They are capable of taking decision about it.”

State fisheries minister D Jayakumar on Wednesday denied any interference from the BJP in party affairs of the AIADMK. Responding to queries from reporters on whether there was pressure from the BJP for the AIADMK to align with the AMMK led by T T V Dhinakaran, nephew of V K Sasikala, the minister said, “The BJP never interfered in our inner-party affairs. A section is spreading canards.”

V Ponraj, who was the scientific advisor of late President A P J Abdul Kalam, joined actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Wednesday. After introducing Ponraj at a meeting in Alwarpet, party president Kamal Haasan announced that Ponraj would serve as MNM’s vice-president along with Dr R Mahendran.

Seeking to claim the legacy of M G Ramachandran, actor Kamal Haasan on Wednesday began his campaign trail from Alandur, earlier Parangimalai constituency which sent MGR to the assembly first in 1967.

By announcing a 10.5% quota within a quota for vanniyars, and getting the Centre to club together seven scheduled castes into one and calling them devendrakula vellalar, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami did what his predecessors didn’t. Though the two demands were decades old, they were never considered by J Jayalalithaa or by M Karunanidhi because they would unsettle the caste dynamics electorally. EPS has now changed the caste dynamics and could reap the benefits in the poll.

Though filing nominations for the TN assembly polls is just 10 days away, the AIADMK and the DMK camps seem to have made little headway in clinching a deal with potential allies. While the national parties — the BJP in the AIADMK camp and the Congress on the DMK side — took time off from the seat-sharing talks on Wednesday, smaller parties in both the camps, too, preferred to act tough.