Tamil Nadu polls: Vijayakanth’s DMDK loses state party recognition after getting less than 6% votes
The actor-turned-politician’s political outfit got only 2.4% of votes and did not win any seats in this election.
The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazgham party headed by actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth has lost its status as a political party in Tamil Nadu after it polled less than 6% of votes in the recent Assembly election. The DMDK had been the main Opposition party after it won 29 seats in the 2011 state election. However, the party did not win a single seat this time. DMDK chief Vijayakanth lost in Ulundurpet constituency and came in a distant third, losing his deposit.
The party got only 2.4% of votes in the state, IANS reported. For any political outfit to be recognised by the Election Commission as a state party, it needs to get a minimum of 6% of the votes polled. Many Opposition parties, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, have alleged that the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won because it spent money to buy votes. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was re-elected in the May 16 polls and has become the first leader to be re-elected in Tamil Nadu in 32 years.