TAMIL NADU- Receding Waves

TAMIL NADU Receding Waves IF the results of the Pondicherry and Coimbatore elections show anything, it is that the much-talked-of waves, whether of the Indira or the MGR variety, are dying down. This was the first time after the 1969 split that the two factions of the Congress joined hands to face the electorate together. The Dindigul disaster where the ruling Congress polled only 2 per cent of the votes had definitely chastened Indira Gandhi as well as the local leadership and persuaded them of the need to get together with the 'reactionary Syndicate'. Besides, the Congress High Command had one eye on the UP election and wanted to disarm the Gupta coterie there by neutralising Kamaraj. a gambit that appears to have paid dividends. But the great expectations that the alliance had aroused among Congress supporters were largely belied as the two factions together could secure only 12 of the 30 seats in Pondicherry, the ruling Congress winning 7 of the 14 seats it contested and the Cong- ress(O) 5 out of 16. ADMK won 12 seals and its ally, CPI. 2, CPI(M) won one seal, DMK 2 and one seat was won by a DMK-supported independent.