MADRAS, 12 May 2004 — The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies have decided to back a Congress-led federal government in Delhi.

The DMK, which briefly flirted with the possibility of backing the formation of a third front along with the communist parties and other minor parties, dropped the idea, as early exit polls after the final phase of voting for the elections to the Indian Parliament showed Congress possibly emerging as the second largest single party after the BJP, and the alliance led by it coming close to 180 to 200 seats in the 543 seat Lok Sabha.

“There is no chance of forming a third front,” DMK President Muthuvel Karunanidhi said categorically. The same sentiments were echoed by the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Harkishen Singh Surjeet in Delhi. “Who said anything about a third front? It is all a media speculation. We are clear. The single largest non-BJP party will form the government, with or without a coalition of other parties,” he said.

Ironically, it was Surjeet himself who spoke to Karunanidhi last week at Madurai about the possibility of the DMK joining the left parties and others in the eventuality of a hung Parliament. Karunanidhi had remained non-committal at that time, and had told him the DMK would decide after the election results were declared. After this Karunanidhi also declared that his earlier statements that Congress President Sonia Gandhi should become the prime minister was only his personal opinion and not that of his party. But that was three days before Karunanidhi and Congress President Sonia met for half an hour in Madras before addressing a joint election meeting. Though both Congress and DMK sources maintained that the two leaders did not discuss the post-poll scenario, the DMK now seems to have changed its line all over again.

Congress has decided not to press for Sonia as prime minister if the party did not get a majority on its own. “We are still ready to accept the leadership of Sonia Gandhi,” said Karunanidhi. “But if Congress itself wants to have a consensus candidate, we will go by the consensus among the allies.”

The other allies of the DMK also echo similar views. “We are solidly behind Congress and Sonia Gandhi,” said Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko said that DMK. PMK and his own party would function as a single bloc.