TN Election results: AIADMK wither in southern region

The AIADMK seems to have lost its hold over southern Tamil Nadu, which was once considered its bastion.
TN Election results: AIADMK wither in southern region

MADURAI: The AIADMK seems to have lost its hold over southern Tamil Nadu, which was once considered its bastion. While party heavyweights such as O Panneerselvam, RB Udhayakumar, Sellur K Raju and Kadambur Raju  managed to get close to  only with a slim lead, ministers Rajenthra Bhalaji and Rajalaskhmi lost to DMK candidates.

In the most expected star constituency of Kovilpatti, AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran was defeated by sitting MLA Kadambur Raju. However, the AMMK did play spoilsport for AIADMK in several places. After a gap of one and a half decades, the DMK stamped its victory in the south.

In 2016 elections, AIADMK won eight out of 10 constituencies in Madurai and lost Tiruparankundram to DMK in the by-election. This time, the DMK has emerged victorious in five constituencies such as Madurai Central, Madurai North, Madurai East, Madurai North and Sholavandhan.

Interestingly, Sellur Raju managed to defeat DMK candidate by 10,000 votes  in Madurai West segment, where NTK bagged 18,000 votes and MNM, 15,600 votes. In Ramanthapuram, the DMK and its allies had won only a single seat in 2016. Now, they have bagged all four constituencies. In Thiruvadanai, AMMK candidate VDN Anandh got over 32,000 votes, where the margin of victory between Congress candidate RM Karumanikam and AIADMK candidate K C Animuthu was just 13,316 votes.

The AIADMK had, in the past, won all the four constituencies In Theni district. However, party coordinator O Pannerselvam had to struggle for a victory in Bodi in 2021.  Surprisingly, the AMMK failed to make an impact in the district, which was once considered Dhinakaran’s  fort. He was Periyakulam MP from 1999 to 2004. In Sivaganga district, the DMK alliance won three seats, where they had two earlier.

In Karaikudi, in a direct face-off, a Congress candidate defeated BJP’s  H Raja by a huge margin. Raja managed to secure 48,000 plus votes and lost by a margin of around 19,200 votes, while AMMK candidate Dherpoki V Pandi secured nearly 39,500 votes. In Virudhunagar, DMK won six hands down. Minister K T Rajenthra Bhalaji was defeated by Thangapandian of DMK.

Bhalaji loses  Out of seven constituencies in Virudhunagar, DMK won six hands down. Minister K T Rajenthra Bhalaji was defeated by Thangapandian of DMK by a margin of 3,789 votes.

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