Jaya may seek early polls, feels Opposition

Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu are gearing up for an early electoral battle with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in September. Sources say the Assembly polls are likely to be advanced by over six months.

According to the Opposition, Jayalalithaa has already had the poll machinery running with the announcement of a populist Budget. She was likely to dissolve the Assembly by the end of April so that elections could be announced six months from now, sources said.

Assembly polls are not due in Tamil Nadu till April-May 2006. But there has been talk of the chief minister announcing early polls to cash in on the killing of sandal-wood brigand Veerappan, relief work in the post-tsunami phase and the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya.

The AIADMK, however, said the chief minister had no such plans. "Why should we forgo another year of power by announcing early elections. The chief minister has said on several occasions that she does not intend to advance the elections and until she indicates to the contrary, there is no question about having early elections," said AIADMK special representative to the Centre V Maithreyan.

A letter written recently by Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Lakshmi Pranesh to Chief Election Commissioner TS Krishnamurthi might indicate otherwise. Pranesh had suggested in her letter that the by-poll to Kanchipuram be postponed because of the tsunami.

The letter gives figures and statistics for rehabilitation of displaced people and asks for postponement of the by-poll on grounds of "natural calamity".

This might be interpreted to mean that the Tamil Nadu government does not want a by-poll now, as the Assembly elections might not be too far off.

The Election Commission has already issued a notification for the by-polls to be conducted before mid-May. This view is being cited by the PMK as proof of Jayalalithaa's plans to hold early elections.

The CPI also believes that Jayalalithaa will not put off elections till April-May next year.

However, senior politician and Opposition MDMK leader Vaiko says Jayalalithaa will have announced the dissolution of the House by now, if she is planning elections in September. According to the PMK, a snap poll, however, cannot not be ruled out.