Why did Jayalalithaa decide to free Rajiv Gandhi assassins?

The general view then was that the DMDK ate into AIADMK support base.

The widespread impression now is that the AIADMK could, on its own, win as many 25 Lok Sabha seats. This alone would make Jayalalithaa a powerful figure in a widely anticipated hung parliament. But the AIADMK leader, already being seen by her fans as a possible prime minister, would want to win more seats.

The one sure way to achieve this is by spiking a possible alliance of the DMK, the Congress and the DMDK.

On paper, this is a formidable coalition, with a 2009 combined vote share of 50.4 percent. And although the DMK and the Congress are a pale shadow of their 2009 self, Jayalalithaa has played the best card she could by announcing her decision to free the seven convicts in order to spike the chances of their coming together.

A DMK-DMDK alliance or a Congress-DMDK alliance will be easier to manage. However, if Karunanidhi - with mounting troubles in his own family - still allies with the Congress and the DMDK, his image as a Tamil leader will be dented.