COIMBATORE: The Western region, traditionally considered the AIADMK’s stronghold, has been breached by the TVK and they’ve done so in a significant manner. While the AIADMK managed to win only 19 constituencies, TVK surged ahead in 27 seats.
Among AIADMK’s allies, the PMK and the BJP secured one seat each. On the other hand, the DMK won seven constituencies while its allies — the KMDK and the CPI — won two. TVK’s domination in the region, with 57 constituencies, overshadows that of the Dravidian majors, as the AIADMK had won 35 constituencies in the region in 2021, while its allies PMK and BJP secured four and two seats respectively.
Moreover, TVK candidates secured the second position in several constituencies, pushing both AIADMK and DMK alliance candidates into third position, suggesting actor-politician C Joseph Vijay’s popularity among various sections of the party. Notably, TVK’s strongman KA Sengottaiyan won the Gobichettipalayam constituency with 82,612 votes.
Despite actor-turned-politician Vijay campaigning only once in Avinashi, a reserved constituency, for the entire Western region, it appears that voters backed the party despite alleged distribution of cash and gifts by the two Dravidian majors.
TVK has won six out of 10 constituencies in Coimbatore district, considered AIADMK’s fort, apart from four each in Tiruppur and Salem districts, five each in Erode and Namakkal districts and two in Krishnagiri district and one in Dharmapuri district.
In the AIADMK camp, notable performances included those of party’s general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Edappadi and former minister and Thondamuthur MLA SP Velumani, who secured victory with a margin of 14,725 votes.
However, former electricity minister P Thangamani lost the election by a margin of 7,696 votes. In Veppanahalli, AIADMK candidate KP Munusamy also suffered a narrow defeat, losing by just 138 votes.
Likewise, PMK candidate and Anbumani Ramadoss’ wife Sowmya Anbumani won in Dharmapuri constituency with a margin of 20,896 votes against the TVK candidate.
The emergence of TVK in the region has not only dealt a blow to the AIADMK, but has also come as a setback for several former DMK ministers. Except for V Senthil Balaji, who contested from Coimbatore South, prominent ministers including Information and Publicity Minister MP Swaminathan from Tiruppur, Prohibition and Excise Minister S Muthusamy from Erode, Tourism Minister R Rajendran from Salem North and Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister M Mathiventhan from Namakkal, lost the election.
While the BJP fielded senior leader and Union Minister L Murugan in Avinashi and BJP national women’s wing president Vanathi Srinivasan in Coimbatore North, they were both defeated.