VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan on Saturday said he changed his last-minute decision to contest the election after, he alleged, defamatory campaigns were spread against the alliance.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, he said people in Tamil Nadu wanted the DMK-led government to continue and expressed confidence that the secular progressive alliance would form governments in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Thirumavalavan said he had initially felt entering the Assembly would help him raise issues of marginalised communities more effectively than Parliament, where he gets limited speaking time during sessions.
He said the party had first considered fielding the daughter-in-law of veteran leader Ilaiya Perumal in Kattumannarkoil, but dropped the plan as she was not from the Dalit community. He added that, to honour Ilaiya Perumal’s family, he gave up his constituency and announced Jyothimani as the candidate for Kattumannarkoil.
On Puducherry seat-sharing, he said talks concluded after nominations closed and VCK was allotted only the Uzhavarkarai constituency. He alleged Congress candidates in Uzhavarkarai did not withdraw their nominations, but later an understanding was reached that only the VCK candidate would contest there with DMK and Congress cadres working for the VCK nominee; in return, he said VCK would work for Congress candidates in Oussudu, Nettapakkam and Yanam and would not campaign for VCK nominees in those seats even if their nominations were not withdrawn.
