2 months ago
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The AIADMK, which ruled Tamil Nadu for the highest fig of years since 1977, is battling an adverse cognition – amid its signifier of predominant electoral setbacks – that it is accelerated becoming a sub-regional party.
A look astatine the party’s strength, arsenic measured successful the 2021 Assembly election, reveals that the Dravidian large has go precise anemic successful the districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Chennai (KTCC), wherever it could triumph lone 1 – Madurantakam – retired of 37 Assembly seats. The 2024 Lok Sabha predetermination did not supply immoderate alleviation to the leadership. If the votes polled by the coalitions headed by the AIADMK and its contiguous ally, the BJP, is added successful the KTCC belt, they would person done good lone successful 2 Assembly segments: T. Nagar and Madurantakam.
However, an old-timer successful the enactment points retired that adjacent successful the 1977 and 1980 Assembly polls, erstwhile the AIADMK’s laminitis M.G. Ramachandran held sway, the organisation won lone 1 and 2 seats, respectively, successful Chennai. He recalls that MGR had, astatine 1 stage, wanted galore of his elder colleagues to beryllium fielded successful constituencies of Chennai.
In the remaining 41 seats of the bluish portion that comprises the districts of Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Ranipet, and Tirupattur, the enactment bagged 9 seats 5 years agone and was up of the DMK-led beforehand successful Tirukoyilur and Ulundurpettai segments successful 2024. Had the fronts of the AIADMK and BJP been together, specified a conjugation would person secured the pb successful 17 different Assembly segments successful 2024.
The Cauvery delta oregon the cardinal region, with 41 seats, too, has not been arsenic bully to the party. Even erstwhile the AIADMK romped location successful 2011 with 150 seats, the stock of the portion was modest, with 26 seats. In 2024, lone successful the Assembly segments of Ariyalur and Jayamkondam, the enactment was up of the rest. Had it aligned with the BJP, 4 much segments would person been accrued.
The State’s confederate districts have, for long, been considered 1 of the strongholds of the party. MGR chose Aruppukottai, present successful Virudhunagar district, to contention successful the 1977 Assembly predetermination and went connected to go Chief Minister for the archetypal time. Three years later, his constituency was Madurai West and yet successful 1984, Andipatti. Jayalalithaa was archetypal elected to the Assembly from Bodinayakkanur successful 1989 and Andipatti successful 2002 and 2006. But the spot of the organisation successful 2024 could beryllium gauged from the information that 5 retired of the 7 Lok Sabha seats wherever the enactment forfeited its deposit were successful the south. A middle-aged person of the enactment from the portion is assured of the enactment regaining its mislaid crushed done its tie-up with T.T.V. Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK).
On the contrary, the occidental oregon Kongu portion has been a loyal protagonist of the party, done heavy and thin. In 2011 and 2016, erstwhile the AIADMK captured and retained power, the region’s tally varied from 39 to 42. Even successful 2021, against the formidable conjugation led by the DMK, the enactment secured 35 seats. Three years later, during the Lok Sabha polls, the AIADMK was the pb enactment lone successful 8 Assembly segments crossed the State, of which 4 came from the region. Had determination been a combined show of the AIADMK, BJP, and their allies, 34 much segments would person gone to it.
Commenting connected this matter, elder enactment person and erstwhile Education and Health Minister S. Semmalai points retired that each enactment has its ain areas of strength. “The AIADMK has been a people’s movement, which has its basal crossed the State,” helium contends. Whenever caller parties, that excessively based connected the spot of definite communities, travel up, accepted parties bash endure immoderate dent successful their following, Mr. Semmalai said. According to him, to flooded this factor, his party’s wide caput Edappadi K. Palaniswami has worked retired definite strategies, including tie-ups with antithetic parties for the April 23 Assembly elections.
