Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam chief Vijayakanth on Thursday vowed that his party will “rise like the phoenix” after its dismal loss in the recently-concluded Tamil Nadu polls. All the party’s candidates, including its chief Vijayakanth, had forfeited their deposits in the May 16 election. The party chief spoke at a functionary’s wedding ceremony on Thursday, The Times of India reported, which was his first public speech since the election results were announced.

The DMDK had also lost recognition as a state party because it polled less than 6% of total votes in the state. It recorded only 2.4% of votes in the election this time. DMDK was initially pipped to be a big player in the election since the party was the main Opposition party after the 2011 polls. DMDK had tied up with four other parties in its alliance with the People’s Welfare Front.