Tigers suffer blow as Karunanidhi gets set to take over Tamil Nadu

The DMK-led Domcratic Progressive Alliance’s sweeping victory in the Tamil Nadu State Assembly elections, announced yesterday, over Chief Minister Ms Jayalalitha Jayaram’s AIDMK was a terrific blow to the LTTE, according to political analysts. The LTTE’s strongest ally in Tamil Nadu, Y. Gopalaswamy, leader of the MDMK, vigorously campaigned for Chief Minister Jayalalitha in the run-up to the May 8 state elections.

Yet another supporter of the LTTE in Tamil Nadu, leader of the Viduthalai Chiruththaigal(meaning cheetahs of freedom) Thirumavalavan was also an active campaign leader for the defeated Chief Minister Jayalalitha

Gopalaswamy, popularly known as Vaiko in Tamil Nadu was sometime ago jailed for one year by the Jayalalitha government, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) for praising the LTTE at public meetings. Later he severed his party’s alliance with Muththuvel Karunanidhi’s DMK and merged with Jayalalitha’s AIMDK following a rift with Karunanidhi, since the latter began to groom his son Stalin to be DMK’s future leader.

Muththuvel Karunanidhi, now set to become Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, won 126 of the 169 seats announced at the time of going to press. Tamil Nadu has a 234-member assembly.

The LTTE’s less known supporters in Tamil Nadu, Pattali Makkal Katchi leader Dr S. Ramdoss, and Thamil Thesiya Iyakkam leader Thirumavalavan stood with Karunanidhi.-Island