T.N. election 2026: When an ‘underdog’ MGR stunned many with his 1980 victory in Tamil Nadu

Alliance mathematics is considered the most important factor as acold arsenic electoral successes successful Tamil Nadu are concerned.  

But this rule was breached during the 1980 Assembly election in May when the AIADMK, which lone had a big of insignificant parties arsenic allies, took connected the arithmetically stronger DMK-Congress combine. Only 4 months earlier, in the Lok Sabha election, the latter, bagging 37 retired of 39 seats, secured astir 56.4% of votes polled. The Congress’ main Indira Gandhi, who mislaid powerfulness successful 1977, was backmost arsenic Prime Minister. The AIADMK-led front, which had the Janata arsenic 1 of its constituents, was way behind, with astir 40%.  

After President N. Sanjiva Reddy invoked Article 356 on a Sunday nighttime in February 1980 to disregard Chief Ministers of 9 States, including Tamil Nadu’s M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), and dissolve Assemblies, galore successful this State thought the triumph of the Congress-DMK conjugation successful the Assembly poll was lone a substance of formality. Yet, it was the AIADMK that emerged victorious astatine the hustings. The charisma of the AIADMK laminitis MGR and the sympathy origin generated by him among voters of the State, that helium had been “unjustly treated” by the Centre, among different factors, had proved stronger than the arithmetic mightiness of the rival formation. In the 8 different States that besides went to Assembly polls, the Congress had returned to power.

As for the Congress-DMK coalition, which had the Muslim League, too, the nationalist enactment won 31 seats retired of 114 seats it contested; the DMK, 37 retired of 112 seats; and the League, 1 retired of 8 seats. In the different front, barring the AIADMK, the different parties had constricted reach. While the AIADMK fielded its nominees in 168 seats, its partners were the 2 Left parties – the CPI and CPI(M). They got 16 seats each; Gandhi-Kamaraj National Congress (GKNC), 12; Tamil Nadu Kamaraj Congress (TNKC), 7; All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), 5; Congress (Urs), 4; and Lok Dal, 2. The Tamil Nadu Muslim League, All India Muslim League, Republican Party (Gavai), and Working People’s Council got 1 each. As per the authoritative data, the AIADMK had contested successful 177 seats, arsenic representatives of its allies were successful the fray connected its symbol, “two leaves.” 

In fact, the AIADMK had wanted to proceed its tie-up with the Janata, which had essentially members of the erstwhile Congress (Organisation) led by K. Kamaraj. Even though the Janata did not container immoderate seat in the Lok Sabha poll, it had secured nearly 8% of the votes. The national party, which primitively wanted to contention successful 60, had scaled it down to 46 initially and reduced it further to 35. The AIADMK began its connection with 14 seats but raised it to 24 oregon 26 aboriginal and eventually, a fewer much seats, but not beyond 30. Lakshmi Krishnamurthi, 1 of the cardinal leaders of the Janata who took portion successful the seat-sharing negotiations, once told this writer that MGR was really keen connected getting her enactment onboard but the Janata leader P. Ramachandran, who joined the Congress five months later, had made up his caput to stone the boat. It was astatine this signifier that the talks broke down.

Under the fixed circumstances, political pundits were not inclined to instrumentality the AIADMK-led beforehand precise seriously. The temper of the concern could beryllium perceived from what India Today, successful 1 of the issues aft the results, had reported: The DMK main M. Karunanidhi “sent his men astir pasting triumph posters each implicit Madras [presently called Chennai], preparing for ambitious celebrations helium was definite would beryllium his.” But erstwhile the results came, galore were stunned – not conscionable surprised. The AIADMK won 129; CPI(M), 11; CPI, 10; GKNC, 6; and TNKC and AIFB, 3 each. The Dravidian large had accrued its ballot stock from 30.36% successful 1977 to 38.75% successful 1980. The quality successful ballot stock betwixt the AIADMK’s conjugation (48.6%) and the DMK-Congress harvester (44.4%) was astir 4 percent points. The Janata, which contested independently successful 95 seats arsenic it did successful 1977, could win lone successful two. Its ballot stock declined to 2.77% from 16.67% successful 1977. It was rather evident that the AIADMK had gained considerably owed to the nationalist party’s move.

The sympathy factor

A fig of reasons were adduced for the AIADMK’s stunning performance. The first and foremost, MGR had enjoyed nationalist sympathy successful presumption of his dismissal from office. As recorded by R. Kannan successful his biography of the AIADMK founder, MGR had asked the electors a mates of elemental questions: “What mistake did I commit? Why did you punish me?” In addition, the leader observed: “I worked lone for you.” Karunanidhi, who was projected arsenic the campaigner for the station of Chief Minister aft a contention arsenic to who should go the Chief Minister, had aboriginal enactment the blasted connected “the deficiency of coordination” betwixt his enactment and the nationalist party. “At the higher level, Mrs. [Indira] Gandhi and I were ne'er retired of step. But differences betwixt the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee(I) [I stands for Indira] (TNCC-I) and the DMK earlier the elections, led to galore Harijans [now called Scheduled Castes] voting against the Front candidates,” helium aboriginal told India Today.  Even though the 2 parties had come out with a communal minimum programme for the poll, isolated from their ain manifestoes, the DMK chief’s instrumentality was not without basis, arsenic the archetypal circuit of Indira Gandhi to the State “hardly touched” immoderate DMK constituency, according to the Economic and Political Weekly of June 14-21, 1980. 

The Hindu, successful its editorial connected June 3, 1980, stated, “A dispassionate information would person shown that determination were precise fewer important reasons wherefore they [people of the State] should prefer Mr. Karunanidhi’s leadership and reject Mr. Ramachandran who, if not a proven administrator, was surely going astir his occupation successful an unassuming manner, and surely with nary large bias against immoderate conception of the people.” 

The DMK’s decision successful this predetermination is inactive cited by galore leaders of the Dravidian question arsenic an illustration of non-preference of the electorate of Tamil Nadu for a conjugation government. The 1980 occurrence was cited by the DMK recently when the Congress had demanded a stock successful powerfulness successful the seat-sharing talks for the 2026 Assembly poll.