DMK Chief Asks Regional Leaders to Ditch Third Front Idea
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo MK Stalin on Wednesday made a strong pitch for regional leaders to ditch the idea of a third front and unite against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His remarks came as leaders like K Chandrasekhara Rao, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal are claiming to challenge the saffron party.
Stalin’s birthday celebrations became a stage for opposition leaders committing to fight the ruling party at the Centre and requesting the DMK chief to take a larger role in Delhi ahead of the 2024 polls.
Several Opposition leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah, and RJD leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav were present at the event in Chennai to mark Stalin’s 70th birthday.
Stalin said, “All the parties have to rise above differences and stand together as a united force to defeat the BJP in 2024. Talking about a third front is pointless.”
The DMK leader underscored electoral dynamics and the history of third-front performances to reiterate his point. “I humbly request all the political parties opposed to the BJP to understand the simple arithmetic and stand united.”
“Political parties should rise above differences and stand together as a unified force to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. Talks of a third front are pointless. I humbly request all the political parties opposed to the BJP to understand this simple electoral arithmetic and stand united,” he said. He urged his party’s cadre to work for the victory of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance in all the 40 seats, 39 in Tamil Nadu and one in neighbouring Puducherry in the 2024 polls.
He conveyed to Kharge, in his address, that a resolution passed at the recent Congress plenary demonstrating the party’s willingness to work with all like-minded parties was the “ideal birthday present” to him.
