COIMBATORE: The split in votes within the DMK camp is being seen as one of the key reasons behind the party's defeat in the Mettupalayam Assembly constituency, where TVK managed to secure victory with a margin of just 7,768 votes.
Political observers and local party workers point to the rebellion of former DMK executive committee member TR Shanmugasundaram (TRS), who contested as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket by party leadership. TRS had reportedly expected to contest from Mettupalayam under the DMK banner. However, the party high command announced Kavitha Kalyanasundaram as the official candidate. Though Shanmugasundaram is said to have conveyed his dissatisfaction to the leadership, no compromise was reached. In protest, he resigned from his post in the DMK executive committee, quit the party, and entered the fray as an independent candidate. Despite his decision, party leadership failed to pacify him.
On May 4, DMK candidate Kavitha Kalyanasundaram secured 67,896 votes, while TRS got 26,756 votes. Together, the two candidates garnered a combined total of 94,652 votes, about 18,988 votes more than the victorious TVK candidate. The outcome has triggered disappointment among DMK cadre in the constituency, many of whom believe the seat could have comfortably remained with the party had the leadership either fielded TRS or persuaded him to withdraw from the contest.
Several local sources also claimed that the fallout in Mettupalayam had a wider impact on the party's performance in the district. According to them, better handling of internal differences and rebel candidates could have potentially improved the DMK's tally by at least four seats in the district.
The Mettupalayam assembly segment in Coimbatore has been one of AIADMK's strongholds in the district, where the party has remained undefeated since 2001. The DMK has managed to secure a victory in Mettupalayam only on two occasions, 1996 and 1971. Local DMK functionaries pointed out that the party lost its opportunity to win here after 30 years.