Captain Vijayakanth explains why he spurned the advances of the two Tamil Nadu giants, AIADMK and DMK, and chose to lead a third front in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections now, a week away.
"If politics was a film, I would be the hero, Karunanidhi would be the villain and Jayalalithaa would be the 'villy'," said the charismatic actor-turned- politician and also, "We were with Jayalalithaa first. But I got angry with her for hiking milk prices and bus fares... Karunanidhi turns everything to his advantage."
This is the first time that there will be a significant third front in Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Captain Vijayakanth's DMDK has joined the People's Welfare Alliance - a front of four parties that includes the CPI(M), the CPI, Vaiko's MDMK and Thol Thirumavalavan's Dalit party VCK.
Then there is the PMK led by Anbumani Ramadoss, which is contesting all 234 seats for the first time.
The 47-year-old Dr Ramadoss scoffs at the Third Front's aspirations. "The Third front is an alliance based on no common policies, only convenience. They will get less than 10 seats," he said to NDTV.
With the smaller parties flexing muscle, the index of opposition unity has dropped from 84 in 2011 to 65 in 2016, which basically makes it possible for a party win majority at 118 seats with even a 36.5 per cent voteshare.
In that election, the DMK had tied up with the Congress, the PMK and VCK and KMNK, winning only 31 seats. The AIADMK had allied with DMDK, CPM, CPI, AIFB and smaller parties PT and MNMK, winning 203 seats.
DMK vs Opposition As Two More Political Workers From Tamil Nadu Killed AIADMK Leaders Walk Out Of Tamil Nadu Assembly Over Toxic Liquor Deaths "Time Is Ripe, My Re-Entry Into AIADMK Has Begun," VK Sasikala Declares 8 Dead, 2,750 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel Video: Leopard Spotted Crossing Road In Bengaluru's Electronic City IndiGo Flight Tailstrike Leaves Huge Dent During Take-Off From Delhi Airport "Wear Proper Undergarments": Delta Airlines' New Memo For Flight Attendants Heavy Rain In Delhi, Nearby Areas Causes Waterlogging, Traffic Jams Instagram Rolls Out "Teen Accounts" With Parental Control For Underage Users Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.