CHENNAI: Although the AIADMK lost the 2021 Assembly elections, a closer look at voting patterns reveal that the party’s alliance - despite two members dropping out - has improved on its performance since the 2019 Parliamentary polls.
Party workers and political observers attribute this ‘bouncing back’ to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami having a better image compared to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the popularity of individual candidates and a cadre galvanised into action by the fear of another crushing defeat.
In the 2019 parliamentary polls, the AIAMDK alliance managed to beat its nearest rival from the DMK alliance in only 16 Assembly constituencies. However, this figure has jumped to 75 in the recently concluded Assembly polls, despite the DMDK and Puthiya Tamilagam having left its alliance. For instance, in 2019, the AIAMDK garnered only 96,485 votes in the Edappadi segment. In 2021, the outgoing CM secured 1,63,154 votes in the same segment.
Similarly, in the Veppanahalli segment, which falls under the Krishnagiri parliamentary constituency, AIADMK’s KP Munusamy got only 75,651 votes in 2019. In the same segment, the same candidate won the seat with 94,104 votes - 23 percent more - this year. Even in constituencies where the AIADMK alliance lost this time, its candidates managed to garner more votes than in 2019.
Kasinathan, an AIADMK functionary from Tiruchy district, attributed this improved performance to the influence and popularity of individual candidates. “Candidates in the Assembly polls are more closely connected to voters than those contesting in the parliamentary election. Besides, the image of the Prime Ministerial candidate also plays a role in the parliamentary polls. Our candidates failed to get votes in 2019 due to the negative image of the BJP,” he said.
On the other hand, Palaniswami has a better image and the last-minute welfare announcements of the outgoing government helped the alliance, he reasoned. According to veteran journalist T Koodalarsan, the influence of local candidates played in the AIADMK’s favour. “Most of the ministers, even if they lost, secured a respectable number of votes because they have a connection with the cadre. Besides, the voters are aware that the parliamentary election is for the Prime Minister while the assembly election helps elect the Chief Minister,” he said.
Another factor, according to an AIADMK functionary in Chennai, was that cadre understood that this election was a do-or-die battle for the party. “Every cadre has some connection with the State government. Hence, we toiled hard. Besides, after the crushing defeat we faced in 2019, every cadre was determined not to let such a defeat recur,” he said.
Edappadi voted differently for 2 polls
In 2019, the AIADMK garnered only 96,485 votes in the Edappadi segment. In 2021, the outgoing CM secured 1,63,154 votes in the same segment. Veppanahalli also had a similar case