Karunanidhi defies doom forecasts

The forecast warned of a tsunami. But in the end,it was,at best,a high tide.

The forecast warned of a tsunami. But in the end,it was,at best,a high tide. Fighting a long and bitter battle with its back against the wall,the UPA put up a creditable performance,winning as many as 28 of the total 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The UPA rode mainly on the surprise electoral success of the DMK that won 18 of the 21 seats it contested.

The extent of the victory hid the less-than-average results of the Congress candidates,especially the losses of Central ministers Mani Shankar Aiyar and EVKS Elangovan and TNCC president K.V. Thangkabalu. Even Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram,who won by over 1.62 lakh five years ago,had to toil hard for victory,scraping through with a slender margin of 3,354 that is yet to be formally announced.

Though almost all pre-poll and exit poll results spoke of a surge by the AIADMK,Jayalalithaas party won in just nine of the 23 seats it contested. Though this has given her party a foothold inside the Lok Sabha where it was unrepresented in the last five years,the results made sure Jayalalithaa wouldnt play kingmaker at the Centre and topple the DMK state governmentsomething she had hoped to do in one stroke.

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The most dramatic development was,however,the collapse of the PMKfrom a seemingly strong ground to drawing a blank. Since 1998,the PMK has been a part of the winning alliance at the Centre,either through electoral alignments or post-poll arrangements.

The other big loser was MDMK general secretary Vaiko,who has been in the forefront of anti-Congress,pro-Lankan Tamil agitations. He was defeated by the Congresss Manik Tagore,a Youth Congress leader who is said to be close to Rahul Gandhi. The Lanka rhetoric ahead of the polls had made Vaiko seem an automatic winner.

The defeats of the PMK and MDMK are seen as indicators that the Tamil factor does not have the same impact on the electorate,especially when the pro-Tamil bloc is vertically split between the two fronts. However,the Congress candidates fared badly,mainly due to the opposition that the rivals were able to drum up over the Lankan issue.

Even as the pro-LTTE political parties,MDMK and PMK,bit dust,Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi,formerly Dalit Panthers of India,tasted success for the first time when its leader Thol Thirumavalavan won from Chidambaram reserved constituency.

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Though the DMDK didnt win from any of the 40 seats it contested,Captain Vijayakanth was able to split the anti-government votes.

Among the prominent winners are Karunanidhis elder son MK Azhagiri from Madurai,Dayanidhi Maran,T.R. Baalu,A. Raja and P. Chidambaram.

Tamil Nadu

 DMK wins 18; Congresss Mani Shankar Aiyar and EVKS Elangovan lose; Jayalalithaas kingmaker hope crashes,AIADMK gets only nine seats.

 PMK draws a blank

 MDMK leader Vaiko,the most vocal pro-Tamil voice,loses.