Talking to newspersons here before launching a whirlwind campaign in the southern districts, he said the formation of a coalition government, however, depended on the verdict of the people. If it became inevitable, the DMK would not be averse to it, he said.

This was the second time in a week that Mr Karunanidhi, heading the Democratic Progressiv Alliance (DPA), was talking about a coalition government.

If he had given a hint while addressing a book release function in Chennai earlies this week, the DMK leader was clearer today as he said the party would not mind sharing power with its allies.

To a question if DMK would mind sharing power with other parties in the event of a fractured mandate, Mr Karunanidhi said 'if a coalition government becomes inevitable the DMK will not oppose it'.

However, according to the present trend, the DMK had more chances to form the government on its own, he added.

Congress leader and Union Minister E V K S Elangovan was the first to demand share in power for the Congress last year, but after it became a major controversy, Mr Elangovan and the Congress had to drop the demand. When it threatened to cost his Ministership, Mr Elangovan called on Mr Karunanidhi and sorted out the issue.

Till last month, Mr Karunanidhi was ruling out the possibility of a coalition, saying none of the constituents in the DPA wanted share in power. He was confident the DMK would get majority on its own.

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