Big test for both parties

The two major parties had secured an encouraging cumulative percentile of votes even while suffering one of their worst defeats, like they did in 2011. While their victory ratio may not look all that attractive in 2011, when the DMK lost the principal opposition party status to DMDK and the Congress managed to win a meagre five seats, the DMK-Cong combine really put up a brave face, securing 31.69% (DMK 22.39% and Cong 9.3%) votes in the 187 seats they had contested together. 

Their cumulative vote percentile was 34.84 in 2006 (DMK won 96 of the 132 seats it contested; Cong won 34 of 48), not to mention the two Left parties were also in the alliance and they won 15 of the 23 seats allocated to them. 

Pertinently, any assessment of their chances will be replete with error if one does not take in to account the Vasan factor. The biggest doubt among political pundits is how many Congress votes would the Moopanar progeny eat in to. Congress insiders rubbished the TMC as a non-issue and reasoned, “Would the DMK not have factored in the TMC angle before accommodating us?” They further added that the alliance would become a formidable once DMDK, who’s leader Vijayakanth is bargaining hard with the high and mighty of the DMK, joins them.