If the people are seeing winds blowing in DMK direction in the proverbial last lap for May 16 assembly elections, it is as much a failure of the so-called Third Front, comprising an assortment of political parties with varying ideologies under the crowd puller film star turned politician Vijayakanth.

Despite much noises and dance and drama, emotion and action, Vijayakanth led front has failed to take off for an assortment of reasons and it is showing in the increasing inclination of the people, at least in Western and Southern Tamil Nadu to give DMK a chance this time.

Unless, Amma comes out with the mother of all manifestoes and promises the moon to the voters, the script is going against Jayaalalithaa government for the time being. Expectations are running high and people are waiting with bated breath, as also her opponents, as to what she would come up with.

But when it comes to the Third Front or Vijayakanth front as the film star would love it be called collapsed even before it could take off. Vaiko shot the first bullet into the nascent political formation by announcing that he would not contest the polls. What ever may be the reason he gave, DMK’s barb that he chickened out stuck.

Not only Vijayakanth and Vaiko, AIADMK was also expecting on good performance of the DMDK-MDMK-Left- TMC- VCK combine as it was thought that it would ensure DMK’s loss by taking away a chunk of anti-incumbency votes.

But, the front’s inability to drum up that kind of support it was expecting from people – for the front took too long in the making, and the different persona of different leaders, their ideologies all combined to ensure that there were problems.

The last entry into the front, TMC leader GK Vasan’s refusal to contest did the front no good either, as people have begun to question whether he expected the front to do badly. Moreover, among the people the charge that the third front was the B Team of Amma kind of stuck.

Despite a strong and vicious campaign front leaders launched against Jayalalithaa, it is not cutting ice with people, who smell a fixed match in these outpourings, just like they don’t trust the BJP.

Fortunately for the DMK, the BJP too is not doing very well and its ability to cut votes would be that much less, as people realize that a vote for BJP was a wasted vote.

But, still it is risky to make definitive prediction as of now, but DMK has inched ahead in the past week or so. Unless the mother of all manifestoes becomes the Hero and takes the AIADMK on a victory lap.