RK Nagar by-poll – AIADMK when fights with itself, AIADMK wins, not DMK

The result of the by-election in RK Nagar constituency in Tamil Nadu which was represented by late Amma J Jayalalitha, former chief minister and the most popular reformist leader ever the state had witnessed reveals the possibility of a new political chemistry in India. TTV has won the by-poll with huge margin but interestingly the official candidate of AIADMK which came second by pushing the DMK to a distant third.

Political pandits although may interpret the above result as set back to EPS-OPS faction. Even since the sad demise of Amma, the AIADMK government has been baffling with one problem after another and has created a strong perception that they are fighting for own existence than doing anything worthwhile for the state.

Factional fight and division between and within have been hurting the Government. It was widely interpreted that people have started to see DMK as the best option and the people want somehow the present government to fall so that they can elect DMK back to power. But RK Nagar by poll scripts a new narrative in Tamil Nadu politics. Anti-incumbency, no visible governance, power politics etc., has not affected the morale and commitment of AIADK cadre to split from the basic philosophy of Amma and MGR - defeat DMK. All such street fights and minimum governance has not made the cadre and people to shift their love and allegiance from AIADMK to DMK.

It means when AIADMK fight against AIADMK, AIAMDK wins and not DMK which is quite new in Indian politics. Poll arithmetic has been the dictating principle of poll outcome in Tamil Nadu which Amma broke for the first time in the state. She chose to go alone and won the second term. Today the same AIADMK nurtured by Amma and MGR has scripted another history that their intra-fight is not going to give any advantage to their arch rival and this election result has defeated not only the hopes of DMK but also the message of the popular Panchathantra story “two cats and a monkey”.

The poll micro-management machinery of TTV faction looks great. People should analyze the verdict in the realm of how the politics of Tamil Nadu is going to shape up in near future rather than whether this is advantage or disadvantage to EPS-OPS faction. Whatever be the differences between EPS, OPS with TTV, it is within the same family and can be easily solved if the spirit of ‘blood is thicker than water’ is respected. But such fights should not give space to other political parties to gain. If we total the votes of secured by TTV and the official candidate of AIADMK, the number of votes secured by DMK with the support of several parties, still it looks insignificant and the party is seen nowhere if the next assembly or parliament election is to be considered.

It is like certain plants do undergo vegetative propagation. Any part of the plant is cut and planted become a new plant. Similarly, AIADMK when fighting the election united or divided or fights amongst each other, it is AIADMK that is going to win and not DMK.

Even if the political pundits call such defeat of DMK as a tactful retreat, it is Amma and MGR are winning and not DMK. The national party must try its best to unite all warring groups of AIADMK to save the state so that nationalist policies and Indian-ness prevail in the state rather than language superiority dominated Dravidian rule that has certainly ruined the state in the name of Tamil pride.

Dr S Ranganathan