The impact of the Congress factor on DMK’s success in 2021 Assembly poll

The recent discourse connected the Congress party’s open request for a stock successful power successful the lawsuit of the DMK-led front’s triumph successful the 2026 Assembly election saw the nationalist party’s functionary making a assertion that if it were not for his party’s beingness successful the coalition during the 2021 Assembly elections, the Dravidian major would not have won in 16 seats and secured a bulk connected its own. 

The assertion has been made on the ground of the Congress’ show successful the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, wherein it contested connected its own. At that time, the nationalist enactment polled 4.32% of votes polled crossed the State with a higher stock (8.2%) in the confederate districts. Of the 16 constituencies in question, 5 each are successful the bluish and confederate districts; 4 successful the western; and the remaining 2 successful the cardinal parts (popularly called the Cauvery delta) of the State.  

Of these seats, the DMK won six during the 2016 Assembly predetermination erstwhile it revived its tie-up with the Congress. Five years later, the Dravidian major, which retained the confederation with the nationalist party, bagged 10 more. By then, however, it had roped successful much allies specified as the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), two Left parties (the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India - Marxist), and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK).  

Many factors, including the enactment of the Congress, had worked for the occurrence of the DMK successful the additional six seats, according to a perusal of the results of the 3 elections. However, for argument’s sake, if one takes into account only the Congress factor, the DMK should person won successful T. Nagar in 2016, whereas it mislaid the spot to the AIADMK by a borderline of 3,155 votes. It was different substance that adjacent with a formidable confederation successful 2021, the Dravidian large could marque it successful T. Nagar with a borderline of simply 137 votes. 

Besides, adjacent successful 2016, determination were indications that the DMK was making important gains implicit its contiguous past performance. This could beryllium seen from the information that against the ballot stock of 23.61% during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, the enactment accrued its people to 31.64% 2 years later. And, erstwhile it drew enactment from immoderate much parties, it is simply a logical corollary that the DMK’s showing improved successful 2021.