TIRUCHY: With no prominent regional leaders, the AIADMK faces a herculean task to secure victory in Tiruchy which it has conceded to arch-rival DMK after the death of former CM J Jayalalithaa. Once an AIADMK stronghold, the district slipped from the party’s grasp in 2017. Since then, it has become a challenging landscape for the AIADMK as the DMK has continued to steadily cement its influence there.
AIADMK sources attribute the decline to the absence of a dominant district-level leader who is capable of countering the DMK’s formidable organisational machinery. Even for major political events in the city, the party had to rely on leaders from outside the district to coordinate arrangements.
A senior AIADMK functionary who did not wish to be identified said leaders from outside the district played key roles in mobilising crowds and making arrangements for PM Narendra Modi’s meeting in Tiruchy recently. “Senior leader SP Velumani from Coimbatore mobilised cadres, while former minister Dr C Vijayabaskar, who is from neighbouring Pudukkottai, took care of the logistics,” he said.
Party insiders recall that when Jayalalithaa was at the helm, she made sure that district-level leadership was rotated across constituencies, so that internal balance could be maintained and emergence of a single dominant regional face can be prevented. “Leaders such as former minister N R Sivapathy contested from multiple constituencies in the region, including Musiri and Perambalur, making it challenging for the party to consolidate its base in the district,” a functionary said.
AIADMK once had several prominent faces, including former ministers M Paranjothi and R Manoharan, who played active roles in district-level organisational work. However, many of the leaders are maintaining a low profile of late due to differences with EPS.
Organisational setbacks have also affected the AIADMK’s influence in the region. Senior leader R Vaithilingam, who used to coordinate activities in central TN, has moved over to the DMK. Former minister Ku Pa Krishnan has joined the TVK, which has eroded the party’s regional leadership base.
Further, minority communities, who form a sizeable population in Tiruchy East, have rallied behind DMK over the last few years. Some AIADMK leaders believe this could shift with the emergence of new political players. “Vijay could split minority votes that traditionally went to the DMK alliance, and this may indirectly benefit us,” a functionary said.
Loyalists reject the view that Tiruchy has permanently slipped away from the AIADMK. Former Tiruchy MP P Kumar said “Even K N Nehru lost in 2011. We have support in rural belts such as Manapparai, Lalgudi and even urban parts like Srirangam. The alliance with BJP would help us as the saffron party performed reasonably well in several pockets in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
Further, he said agrarian concerns could influence victory in rural segments. “Farmers feel their problems have not been adequately addressed by the DMK government. Our leader Palaniswami has the image of a farmer, which could resonate with voters. Also, former minister Vellamandi N Natarajan has returned to the party from the OPS camp,” said former MP P Kumar. Political observers, however, say the Dravidian major failed to stand with people on several issues such as bad roads, irregular drinking water supply and other civic issues.