CHENNAI: The PMK’s decision not to support any party in the October 6 bypolls has come as a setback for the AIADMK.
The AIADMK had been hoping for the PMK’s support for its candidates in the bypolls, particularly in Madurantakam, where the PMK has a steady voter base.
The PMK secured 16,215 votes (9.12%) when it contested the 2016 Assembly election on its own. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, when it contested as part of the BJP-led alliance, it polled 16,965 votes in the constituency, which falls under the Kancheepuram parliamentary seat.
With the PMK as an ally, the AIADMK won Madurantakam in both the 2021 and 2026 Assembly elections. In 2026, AIADMK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel won by 7,194 votes. Her resignation led to the bypoll. AIADMK leaders are also concerned that her decision to join the ruling TVK could affect the party’s voter base.
Even before the PMK announced its stand, its local functionaries in Madurantakam had kept a distance from the AIADMK. They did not extend support to AIADMK candidate S Kanitha Sampath when she filed her nomination papers.
Political observer and veteran journalist D Karthi told TNIE the PMK’s decision would leave its local functionaries free to take their own stand. “Since the PMK has not formally quit the alliance, it should have supported the AIADMK. By saying that it will not support any party, it has, in effect, not supported the AIADMK.
This could allow the ruling TVK to reach out to PMK functionaries and voters at the local level,” he said. Another veteran journalist, P Jaganath, said the TVK’s efforts to form a stable government could attract some PMK voters.
However, the DMK may find it difficult to attract PMK voters, given the differences between the two parties over 10.5% reservation demand and the caste-based census.