Thursday, June 02, 2011

Vanquishing of the DMK

Astute alliance building and public resentment over corruption turned the tide in favour of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.

The outcome of the Tamil Nadu elections did not surprise many, but it was the sweep of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) that astonished everyone, including perhaps the victors. It was a wave but it was not one occasioned by a single factor; a combination of factors – resentment over corruption in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) “family”, alliance arithmetic and voter unhappiness about everyday issues – affected a landslide that all but obliterated the DMK-Congress alliance. If there is a message in the Tamil Nadu vote, it is that a small number of welfare measures, the promise of post-electoral handouts and attempts at bribing voters with cash do not by themselves make a recipe for electoral success.

To Read More from the EPW Editorial, Click Here.

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