PUNCHING ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT?

For Tamil Nadu’s Big Two Dravidian parties—the AIADMK (All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)—managing their poll allies’ demand for seats is turning out to be a tough ask. The difficulty in imposing their will on much smaller allies also gives away the apprehensions of these parties about the 2021 election.

The DMK and AIADMK have together polled over 70 per cent of the votes in every election since 1996, but they have had to rely on minor players of late to give them the decisive edge in several constituencies. The 2016 poll was an exception when an ailing Jayalalithaa decided to go it alone to prove her strength—the AIADMK bagged 135 of the total 234 seats even though its vote share was