COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) has suffered a significant setback in Coimbatore, losing both assembly constituencies it contested under the DMK-led alliance to candidates of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Party insiders have attributed the defeat to internal discord and a lack of coordinated campaign efforts.
In the Kavundampalayam constituency, TVK candidate Kanimozhi Santhosh, an astrologer who had earlier claimed that cancer, obesity and other diseases can be cured through astrology, registered a decisive victory, polling around 1,46,466 votes. She defeated PRG Arunkumar of the AIADMK by a margin of 42,140 votes. Congress candidate KP Surya Prakash secured approximately 90,726 votes, finishing a distant third.
A similar trend was witnessed in Singanallur, where TVK's KS Sri Giri Prasath emerged victorious with a margin of 19,139 votes. Congress nominee V Srinidhi polled 65,024 votes, finishing second, while former MLA KR Jayaram of the AIADMK slipped to third place with 57,783 votes.
Despite being allotted two key urban constituencies in Coimbatore, the Congress party failed to convert the opportunity into electoral gains. Notably, it could not even secure the runner-up position in Kavundampalayam, highlighting the scale of the setback.
Party sources pointed to multiple factors behind the poor performance. Internal disputes, dissatisfaction over candidate selection, factionalism, and a lack of unity were cited as major issues. "There was minimal cooperation on the ground, and several party workers did not actively participate in campaign efforts," a senior functionary admitted.
Adding to challenges, prominent national leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram did not campaign in Coimbatore. Even senior leaders from the alliance partner, the DMK, were largely absent, further weakening the Congress campaign in the region. It may be noted that the Congress party, which received the Coimbatore South assembly segment in the 2021 assembly polls as part of the DMK alliance, had lost the seat back then.
