Smaller parties seek early bird advantage in campaigning

The BJP , the Tamil Maanila Congress and the multi party PWF-DMDK combine have taken an early plunge into campaigning leaving behind the two Dravidian biggies which are still stuck with talks on alliances, seat sharing and candidate selections.
It seems there is a space for parties to campaign that they are an alternative to the main Dravidian parties. And the PWF-DMDK and the BJP want that slot, with each denouncing the other.
BJP's Vanathi Srinivasan candidate for Coimbatore South segment, commenced her campaign on Sunday and TMC's Sarubala Thondaiman hit the trail on Saturday in Trichy while Premalatha has already held public meetings in half a dozen cities across the state.
For Sarubala, the objective was more about popularizing TMC's poll symbol, the coconut farm, while Vanathi, on a door to door canvassing mission, hit out at the AIADMK, the DMK and the DMDK even as she harped on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's achievements.
Premalatha, the star campaigner of the DMDK, has by and large set the tone for campaigning with her scathing attacks on the AIADMK and the DMK. “We don't want to seek votes by highlighting failures of DMK and AIADMK But they are the reasons for the present plight of Tami Nadu," she tells the crowd.
Premalatha also spices up her rather un-eloquent oratory with adulatory references of yesteryear icons Kamaraj and M G Ramachandran to strike a chord with the public.But her latest reference, quoting one of Rajnikanth's statement against the AIADMK made on the eve of 1996 assembly elections, has apparently backfired. Rajini fans have hit back saying it is unfair for the DMDK to rake it up now.
Grassroots DMK and AIADMK men are concerned with the delay in the start of campaigning, but say early birds don't catch the worm always. The two parties are expected to finalise the alliances in a week or ten days and then commence campaigning. “We have done all he groundwork. Booth committees have been put in place, campaign materials have been prepared and wardwise door to door canvassing schedules are also ready . It is only a matter of time for us," said a DMK functionary .