CHENNAI: Three years ago, in the run-up to the 2016 Assembly polls DMDK was among the most sought-after parties for an alliance. That situation seems to have changed now. The Vijayakanth-starrer’s “market value” seems to have taken a beating. Instead, it was the PMK that was being actively wooed this time by both the Dravidian majors.
A comparison of the vote share of DMDK and PMK reveals the real story. While Ramadoss’ party has managed to consolidate its vote bank in the Vanniyar community, Vijayakanth’s party witnessed a reversal in fortunes.
Take for instance the case of 2016 Assembly polls. While DMDK, which contested as part of the six-party alliance called People’s Welfare Front, won a mere 10,34,384 votes across 104 segments, the PMK, which had to fight alone as it was projecting its youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss as the next Chief Minister, won 10,92,556 votes in 102 segments where it contested – a substantial difference of 58,000 votes.
Why this reversal in fortunes? Poll pundits say that those who voted for DMDK in the initial elections were hoping the party would become an alternative to DMK and AIADMK. That ended when the DMDK entered into a poll alliance with AIADMK in 2011. The party lost the trust of this section of the electorate.
In contrast, the PMK returned to its time-tested formula of caste-based politics. It consolidated the Vanniyar vote bank, especially by stoking sentiments over inter-caste marriages, in particular with Dalits.
Vijayakanth floated his party in 2005 in the backdrop of his super-hit movie Ramana which helped him cultivate an anti-corruption crusader image.
In 2006 Assembly polls, his party contested alone in 232 of the 234 Assembly constituencies and secured an impressive 8.32 per cent (a little above 28 lakh votes) of the total votes secured, even though Vijayakanth was the lone MLA elected.
In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the party went again lone and secured a little above 31 lakh votes, which was 10.08 per cent of the votes polled. Deviating from his initial stance as an alternative for the two Dravidian parties, in 2011 Vijayakanth allied with the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK. His party was allocated 41 seats in the alliance and the party won a handsome 29, making Vijayakanth the principal opposition leader, pushing behind even the DMK. DMK had won only 23 seats in the election.
In 2014 elections, Vijayakanth joined hands with the BJP and despite the pro-Modi wave at the national level, his party secured just 5.13 per cent votes and did not win any of the 14 seats the party contested. In contrast, the PMK, which was also part of the BJP-led alliance, won a seat at Dharmapuri and secured 18,04,812 (4.45 per cent) votes in just eight seats it contested.
Clearly, Vijayakanth seems not to have made use of the platform as the principal opposition leader. His party touched the lowest in 2016 Assembly polls – securing just 2.32 per cent votes, though it projected Vijayakanth as the Chief Minister candidate.
On the other hand, the PMK had secured a vote share of 5.89 per cent in 1991 and 3.83 per cent in 1996 Assembly polls. In both these elections, the party had contested alone or in alliance with a few smaller parties. After this, PMK switched alliance between either DMK or AIADMK. Luck was on PMK’s side that barring a few exceptions, the front in which it was present was mostly victorious.
From 2012, the party started to aggressively campaign on the issue of inter-caste marriages, beginning with the Illavarasan-Divya episode. In 2014, when the party was part of the BJP-led NDA, PMK secured 18,04,812 votes (4.45 per cent) even though it had contested only eight seats.
In 2016, despite contesting alone, the party secured 5.32 per cent votes. Since these votes are concentrated in the northern belt, they have emerged as a major deciding factor in this belt.