SOUTHERN SHOWDOWN

As Tamil Nadu heads into election in April, rival alliances—Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Congress and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—sparred early at the India Today conclave.

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The DMK’s Thamizhachi Thangapandian and the Congress’s Karti Chidambaram expressed confidence in their Secular Progressive Alliance—the INDIA bloc arm—winning the polls to the 234-member assembly, banking on what they say is chief minister M.K. Stalin’s positive, consensus-builder image and the government’s good performance.

The BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan and the AIADMK’s Kovai Sathyan contested the claim, charging that Stalin’s “miserable rule has pushed the state into darkness, as women’s safety, law and order remain in a shambles”.