In the current situation where Lok Sabha election announcements are expected to be made in the next couple of months, there is intense speculation about allotment of constituencies in the alliance led by DMK in Tamil Nadu.
In the previous elections, VCK which won two constituencies in the DMK alliance, is reportedly seeking more seats in this alliance. Furthermore, in the last election, the leaders of the VCK, Thirumavalavan and Ravikumar contested and emerged victorious in their respective constituencies.
However, in this scenario, VCK demands that they be given significant representation in the seats allocated in this alliance. In such a context, in the upcoming general elections, Thirumavalavan, the leader of the party, wants to contest in the party's individual electoral symbol and not under DMK's symbol. He has kept forward this request to the election commission in Delhi.
He gave an interview to press after the submission to election commission,in the interview Thirumavalavan stated, 'We will contest in two constituencies in the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala. Therefore, in the upcoming general elections, we are working on to delegate candidates in the VCK's constituencies. Therefore, we demand that the representation of the VCK be increased in the places where it is allocated. We are also appealing to include our independent electoral symbol in front of the election commission.
Furthermore, we met with the former Indian President Ramnath Kovind, who is the head of the 'One Nation,One Election' committee, to say how it is against the democratic nature of India and it comes off as a fascist move.We have appealed the government to abandon this attempt, as it ruins parliamentary democracy."
Continuing, a journalist questioned, "The election commission seems highly partial. Situation within the party is such that, Sharad Pawar says, 'even though I started the party, I don't have a say,'" prompting further, he asked, "In this crucial time you are asking individual electoral symbol, do you think it is possible to get it?"
In response, Thirumavalavan stated, "There is indeed hope that the common man's trust will be restored in the electoral commission. The concerns raised by Sharad Pawar are not baseless. The actions of the Election Commission during this critical time raise doubts. The Election Commission is an autonomous body vested with authority. It must function independently, free from the influence of political parties and coalitions. Not only Sharad Pawar but also the entire Indian populace is demanding this. We insist that the Election Commission operates without bias, transcending party lines, and ensuring free and fair elections."
Furthermore, "You want to contest independently. At the same time, some people insist that DMK, which is in coalition, insists many parties to contest under their electoral symbol. This happened last time as well. Therefore, regardless of how many seats are allocated, will all your candidates contest under your independent symbol, or will this create confusion and disagreement within the coalition?" asked a journalist.
To that, "There is no room for such questions. In the past state assembly elections, we stood independently in all six constituencies. At that time, the DMK did not put any pressure on us. It was only during the last legislative assembly elections that the DMK put a little pressure, but that was to ensure victory to the party and not to undermine or invalidate VCK's individuality and power as an independent party. Therefore, there is no such issue at present," stated Thirumavalavan.
In response to the journalist's question, "Why is VCK insisting on contesting in general elections and specifically in general constituency?" Thirumavalavan replied, "There is no such limiting rule or restriction that VCK should not contest in general elections, we are also a political party. We represent all sections of the society. Since 2001, we have been advocating for contesting in every constituency in the general elections. Therefore, this is not a new demand. Even in the state assembly elections, two general constituencies were allocated. It is on that basis that we are asking for a general constituency in the parliamentary elections."