CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Assembly announced that AIADMK MLA P Vetrivel from Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency resigned his post on Sunday and the Speaker accepted his resignation with immediate effect.
Vetrivel defeated his nearest DMK rival P Sekarbabu in the 2011 Assembly elections by a big margin of over 30,000 votes. He polled 83,777 votes (59.04 per cent), while the DMK candidate secured 52,426 votes (37.01 per cent) with the support of the Congress and PMK.
The constituency has become a stronghold of the AIADMK after the delimitation process after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2014 Parliament elections, the AIADMK, which contested alone garnered 74,760 votes (31.89 per cent) compared to the 48,301 votes (20.60 per cent) of the DMK in the Radhakrishnan Nagar segment.
The DMDK with the support of the MDMK, BJP and PMK garnered 13,683 votes (5.84 per cent), while Congress got 3,084 votes (1.32 per cent) and CPM polled 3,884 votes (1.65 per cent). Vaiko’s MDMK, when it contested on its own in 1996 had polled 8.09 per cent votes, while PMK had not made any impact in the seat.
In the 2009 Parliament elections, immediately after delimitation, CPI leader D Pandian who contested as part of the AIADMK front comprising the MDMK and PMK polled 50,936 votes (44.83 per cent), while DMK, which was supported by the Congress, garnered 41,131 votes (36.20). The DMDK went on its own and got 12,368 votes (10.88 per cent).
Ever since its formation in 1977, the constituency changed hands between the AIADMK and DMK fronts in every Assembly election till 1996. In 1977, the AIADMK won the seat. In the Assembly elections three years later, the Congress pocketed the seat, supported as it was by the DMK. In 1984, the Congress became part of the AIADMK-led front and retained the seat.
In 1989, the DMK wrested the seat but lost it in 1991 to the AIADMK. Fortunes turned once again, as the DMK got it back in 1996. The trend changed in the subsequent elections, as the AIADMK emerged victorious thrice in a row in 2001, 2006 and 2011.
The constituency is part of the North Chennai Parliament seat and comprises areas like Tondiarpet, Korukkupet, Old Washermenpet, Kodungaiyur, New Washermenpet and Royapuram dominated by sections of lower income groups and middle class families.