Putting to rest all speculations, DMDK chief Captain Vijayakant on Thursday announced that he would go it alone in the assembly elections.

This decision hits the DMK the hardest and helps the AIADMK as it would split the anti-incumbency votes against Jayalalithaa.

The DMK that was desperately wooing the DMDK to its fold, as his 8 per cent vote share would help it in closely fought assembly elections.

Captain Vijayakant made the announcement at a public meeting at Royapeta in Chennai, where he said “I know clearly announce that i will contest alone. In my previous meeting at Kancheepuram I had asked the people if they wanted to see me as the king or the kingmaker. You all have wanted me to be the king, which is why the DMDK will go it alone in the assembly polls.”

His speech was short but import very big.

By going alone, the DMDK is sure to cut and split the anti-AIADMK vote and help chief minister J Jayalalithaa said Prof Ramu Manivannan of the Madras University.

AIADMK spokesperson CR Sarswathi said it was an internal decision of the DMDK and it was not for her to make any comment. In fact the DMDK is of no consequence and all things said about that party being the deciding factor and kingmaker and all is wrong. The election results will show the reality to the people who will vote for Amma again.”
She said Vijayakant and Premalata’s personalized attacks on Jayalalithaa will not go down well with the people.

Before Captain Vijayakant made his key announcement that will most likely change the outcome of the elections, his wife Premalata attacked DMK and AIADMK. She said both were seeped in corruption needed to be thrown out.

“Please vote her out from power,” she urged the people. She also said the DMK too was equally guilty of ruining the state and TN deserved a corruption free government that only DMDK can provide, she said.

The DMDK’s decision changes the landscape of Tamil Nadu assembly elections with multi-cornered contests, with at least five fronts in fray — the AIADMK, the DMK-Cong, Peoples Welfare Front, the DMDK and the NDA.

The biggest gainer in this all is Jayalalithaa as votes against her are going to be split. And if her luck holds and decision in DA case in Supreme court comes in her favour, she is sure to sweep the polls, on her own.

But in case of an adverse decision, the game would be wide open, political analysts say.