MDMK at crossroads again in Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Dec 13 (IANS) Vaiko's MDMK is feeling let down following AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha's decision to field her candidate in a by-election in an assembly constituency the MDMK had held, party sources said.

The death of MDMK legislator Veera Elavarasan last month led to the by-election in Madurai district, scheduled in January. MDMK has been an ally of the AIADMK since 2006.

Jayalalitha announced Friday that her party would contest the by-election, a day after Vaiko met her.

A crestfallen MDMK leader told IANS that the party was again being sidelined.

'We add value to our political alliances but are sidelined (later),' the source said.

Between 1998 and 2006, the MDMK has switched sides seven times.

In 2001 and 2006, the MDMK exited from its political groupings over seat squabbles and ended up on the losing side.

Despite his party being a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Vaiko's party drew a blank in the 2001 assembly polls.

He also spent 19 months in prison after being charged with supporting Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers.

In 2006, Vaiko joined hands with Jayalalitha following a row over seat adjustments with the DMK.