CHENNAI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has made deep inroads into the traditional bastions of the Dravidian majors, reducing the ruling DMK to the opposition and pushing AIADMK to third place in the state assembly. The party has snatched around 70 seats won by DMK in 2021, and 13 from AIADMK.
Northern Region: DMK's Stronghold Crumples
DMK received a body blow in the northern region, including Chennai, the party's stronghold. Though DMK heavyweight E V Velu managed to retain his Tiruvannamalai seat, DMK general secretary Duraimurugan's long winning streak in Vellore's Katpadi constituency finally came to an end. TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai lost in Sriperumbudur constituency in northern TN, while BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran lost in Sattur in southern TN.
In 2021, the DMK-led alliance won 64 out of 78 seats in this region, laying the foundation for the party's return to power. Of those 64 seats, 16 were in Chennai. However, TVK has won 42 seats in the region, which has turned out to be the key reason for DMK's debacle. Meanwhile, AIADMK and its allies secured 20 seats - five more than their previous tally. The results show that the AIADMK-PMK alliance has worked out to the alliance's favour, bringing in the Vanniyar votes. Former AIADMK ministers C Ve Shanmugam and K C Veeramani returned to the assembly, winning the Mailam (Villupuram) and Jolarpet (Tirupattur) constituencies respectively after losing in the previous poll.
In neighboring Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, and Vellore districts, DMK was completely routed. In these districts, TVK has swept the election, defying caste calculations. While the AIADMK-PMK combine managed to win six seats in Tiruvannamalai district - leaving the DMK with just two - the TVK romped home in the rest.
Central Region: TVK Makes Significant Gains
In the Central region (41 seats across nine districts), the TVK took 13 seats from the DMK and its allies. Trichy was under spotlight for two reasons - Trichy East where Vijay contested and Lalgudi where Leema Rose Martin (AIADMK) contested. Both won in a setback to DMK which had considered Trichy its stronghold. Though DMK treasurer K N Nehru won his Trichy West segment, his cabinet colleague Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi (Thiruverumbur) and T R B Raaja (Mannargudi) lost. DMK alliance's numbers plummeted from 38 to 20 in the region. Meanwhile, AIADMK improved on its 2021 performance by bagging eight seats, a win attributed to AMMK's inclusion in the alliance.
Western Region: AIADMK's Bastion Breached
The AIADMK faced a major jolt in its Western stronghold of Coimbatore. Local strongman S P Velumani retained Thondamuthur, becoming the only candidate to withstand the TVK insurgency in the district. Former minister V Senthil Balaji, who switched from Karur to Coimbatore South, weathered the TVK wave to win by 2,271 votes. But the TVK made a huge dent in the AIADMK bastion by winning 27 seats out of 57 seats in the Kongu region comprising eight districts. In AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami's native Salem, TVK won four seats, cutting into the former CM's influence.
Southern Region: DMK Loses Grip on Thevar Belt
DMK also lost its grip on the "thevar belt" of the southern region. In the 2021 polls, it had won 40 out of 58 constituencies; however, this time TVK walked away with 25 seats, leaving DMK with 23 and the AIADMK with the remainder. Key DMK leaders, including P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, P Moorthy, P Geetha Jeevan, and assembly speaker M Appavu, lost to TVK candidates. Senior AIADMK leaders Sellur Raju and R B Udhayakumar also lost. The candidates fielded by former AIADMK leader V K Sasikala had made a dent in AIADMK votes.
Among the significant victories was that of former CM O Panneerselvam, contesting on the DMK's Rising Sun symbol in Bodinayakkanur. He won after a tough fight from a TVK candidate.
Kanyakumari: A Lone Exception
While TVK gained inroads in several constituencies across Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari district alone kept TVK away. Out of the six constituencies in Kanyakumari district, DMK and its allies won in five constituencies, while AIADMK won in one.
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