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Disclaimer: The following is my view on the present political scenario in Tamil nadu. It might not be in conformance with actual ground realities. So, beware :)

Will Vaiyapuri's joining Komalavalli change anything this time in Tamil nadu's assembly elections? Wondering who Vaiyapuri and Komalavalli are? Ofcourse I am talking about our dear Vaiko and Jayalalitha. It was a little while ago that I came to know their real names. My view: Nothing might have changed with respect to poll arithmetic, but it has had an effect on the enthusiasm and confidence levels on either side. It is a little hard to digest that Vaiko can join hands with someone who put him behind bars for almost 18 months. But then, this is politics and in the words of a wise man - "Arasiyal-la idhellam sagajamappa" ( Things like this happen in Politics).

I feel that AIADMK alliance started the campaign with a distinct edge over the DMK alliance. With Vaiko's fiery speeches and Jaya's development plank, their campaign seemed to be reaching the people. But being the shrewd and wise man that he is, Karunanidhi came up with the Rs.2 rice and color TV scheme. Impractical as it may sound, people started to take notice. And the AIADMK camp couldn't ignore this fact. This led to a slew of concessions from each side with Jayalalithaa announcing 10 kgs of free rice and Vijayakanth announcing 15 kgs of free rice through the PDS. It didnt stop there. Vijayakanth has announced a free cow to each household and also Rs. 500 every month to every house-wife. At that point, I felt that the AIADMK alliance was loosing out on the advantage that it held. The DMK alliance seemed to be catching up.

But, in the last 2 days, something else has come up. The news about Dayanidhi Maran allegedly pressuring the Tatas to give Sun TV a stake in the DTH venture that they have started in alliance with the Star network. The newspaper reports say that Maran had blackmailed the Tatas to give up a 33% stake or face consequences. This is a serious charge and as expected Jayalalithaa is bound to exploit this situation. Let's see if this could really change anything.

This election is going to be nail-biter and both the alliances are going to fight to the finish. Let's see what happens. Personally, I am in favor of a 3rd term for Jayalalithaa this time. Let' see....