SALEM: Despite winning only four of the 18 constituencies it contested, the PMK under Anbumani Ramadoss appears to have largely retained its electoral base, with its rival faction led by party founder S Ramadoss making only a limited or no impact.
In the most of the nine constituencies where both the factions were in direct contest, particularly in the northern belt of Tamil Nadu, which has historically been considered a stronghold of the PMK and Vanniyar community where any split in votes was expected to influence outcomes in closely fought contests, candidates of senior Ramadoss secured only marginal vote counts.
In Dharmapuri, where Sowmya Anbumani emerged victorious, the rival candidate secured only 1,078 votes. Similar trends were observed in Polur (319 votes), Gingee (285 votes), Jayankondam (1,203 votes), Kattumannarkoil (342 votes), Kilvelur (437 votes), Vriddhachalam (608 votes) and Vikravandi (194 votes).
In the nine constituencies, the rival faction managed to cross 1,000 votes only in two constituencies. The only constituency where the senior Ramadoss faction recorded a relatively higher vote share was Salem West, where former MLA Arul Ramadoss secured 12,532 votes, although this too did not significantly alter the overall outcome of the contest.
Notably, S Murali Shankar, who was appointed as general secretary of the senior Ramadoss faction and had contested as a PMK candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Villupuram securing over 1.8 lakh votes, managed only 342 votes in Kattumannarkoil in this election.
In contrast, the PMK under Anbumani Ramadoss won four constituencies - Dharmapuri, Jayankondam, Vikravandi and Gingee - suggesting that the party's core support base largely remained intact despite the organisational split and the presence of rival candidates.
S Ramadoss had a very limited campaign presence in this election, and after collapsing during a campaign event in Salem West while canvassing for Arul Ramadoss, he did not continue active campaigning. He later appealed through statements and videos, especially urging voters in Dharmapuri to vote against Sowmya Anbumani, but even in that constituency, his candidate A Saravanan secured only 1,078 votes.
In comparison, the Sasikala-led formation within the alliance was seen to have a more noticeable electoral effect in certain southern constituencies. In seats such as Mudukulathur, Usilampatti and Sattur, the candidates of her party secured relatively higher vote share, in some cases exceeding the margin of defeat, suggesting they may have had a role in influencing the outcomes in those constituencies.
