For the political parties in Tamil Nadu, it was a wrap for the long-run campaign trial for the upcoming state urban local body polls. The campaign has ended on Thursday as the parties await judgment from the voters for the local government institutions. The voting will be held on February 19 and the results will be announced on February 22.

On Thursday, during the last day of the campaign, the political parties and the independent candidates had a rush to cover the areas ahead of the polls. What has become the talk of the town was the unexpected drama on Thursday where a former ADMK Minister had campaigned for the BJP, though both parties had parted ways from their alliance owing to the non-consensus over seat allocation. 

While the BJP is contesting the polls alone, the cadres of the saffron camp in the Pudukottai district had got a helping hand from former ADMK Minister C Vijayabaskar in campaigning for the BJP candidates. On Thursday, amid a task for working for his party, Vijayabaskar had a round-up with the BJP cadres across the district and campaigned for the party.  The former minister was seen holding the BJP election poster and seeking votes for the Central ruling party. 

It would probably be the first time in the state where a political leader had sought votes for the party that had broken ties with the party where he belongs to. Our sources say that two BJP candidates are contesting in the tenth and eleventh wards in Keeramangalam municipality in the Pudukottai district. C Vijayabaskar had held a campaign for these two BJP candidates in the area, which had shocked the ADMK leadership and the party's cadres amid facing a tough race from the ruling DMK. 

Earlier, the ADMK leaders had claimed that it is better for the party that the BJP was not in the alliance in the upcoming polls. ADMK Presidium Chairman Tamilmagan Hussain said, "It is a huge benefit for the ADMK that BJP was not in the alliance in the urban local body polls. We will definitely win big without the alliance of BJP."  However, as former ADMK Minister Vijayabaskar sought votes for the BJP, his campaign has drawn condemnation from the ADMK leaders.