DMK manifesto promises Lok Sabha seat status quo despite delimitation

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, March 20

The ruling DMK on Wednesday released both its manifesto and candidate list for Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, perceived as one of the toughest battlegrounds for the BJP which failed to win even one seat here in 2019. All 39 segments of Tamil Nadu will vote in the first phase on April 19. The BJP is yet to declare its contestants.

High on sops, the Dravidian party’s manifesto makes a very important political point on behalf of all southern states by pledging a status quo despite the next delimitation exercise, scheduled after the 18th LS poll.

Promising a population and caste survey every five years, the DMK manifesto says, “The successful implementation of Centre’s family planning programme by Tamil Nadu led to a decrease in population, resulting in the reduction of parliamentary constituencies from 41 to 39 during the constituency delimitation in 1971. Based on the amended law in 2002, the Union Government decided to maintain the number of constituencies at the previous level due to the insistence of states and the number of constituencies remains the same ever since. The DMK assures that this status will continue during the upcoming constituency delimitation as well.”

Major assurances by stalin’s party

• 50% reservation for backward and most backward communities, abolition of creamy layer
• Reestablishment of Planning Commission
• Exemption for Tamil Nadu from the NEET exam
• States, not Governors, to appoint V-Cs
• Free SIM card with one GB data per month for college students
• Citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamils in India

The point is set to resonate with other southern states where the BJP remains electorally weak. All these states, due to better population control, are slated to see marginal increase in LS seats post the next delimitation exercise with Kerala likely to see a drop in LS seat from current 20 as against UP which is expected to gain majorly from 80 to nearly 128 seats on account of its larger population.

Among other major points in the DMK manifesto is an assurance to appoint Governors with Chief Ministers’ consent and repeal Article 356 which permits dissolution of state Assemblies; repeal of Citizenship Amendment Act and National Education Policy; prevention of Uniform Civil Code and restoration of JK’s statehood.

Waiver of farmer loans by INDI alliance of which DMK is a part; menstrual leave and Rs 1,000 monthly for women across India; review of “people-unfriendly laws of NDA government”; online gambling prohibition law and cap on petrol, diesel and LPG cylinder prices at Rs 75, Rs 65, and Rs 500, respectively, are other key promises by DMK.

Names all 21 candidates

The DMK on Wednesday declared 21 candidates for the April 19 Lok Sabha poll retaining sitting MPs K Kanimozhi (Thoothukkudi), TR Baalu (Sriperumbudur), A Raja (Nilgiris SC), Tamizhachi Thangapandian (South Chennai), Dayanidhi Maran, S Jagathrakshakan (Arakkonam), Kalanidhi Veerasamy (Chennai North), Kathir Anand (Vellore) and CN Annadurai (Tiruvannamalai). The DMK has given the remaining 18 seats to INDIA bloc allies Congress, Left parties and VCK among others. Of the 21 names, 11 are new.