CHENNAI: Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK) general secretary and former Periyankulam MP of the AIADMK, T.T.V Dhinakaran has an edge in the Theni Lok Sabha seat in the coming general elections.
The AMMK and Dhinakaran are part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu, and the front is expecting him to win the seat.
DMK candidate Thanga Tamil Selvan, and AIADMK leader, V. T. Narayanasamy are also in the fray in this constituency, which was the only seat in Tamil Nadu that went with the AIADMK, denying the DMK a clean sweep.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, AIADMK leader, P. Raveendranathan won the seat by 76, 693 votes defeating Congress leader and former Union Minister E.V.K.S. Elangovan.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Dhinakaran, contesting on the Pressure Cooker symbol, has an edge, and the AIADMK has fielded a weak candidate in V. Narayanasamy.
Previously, DMK candidate Selvan was in the AIADMK, a close associate of Dhinakaran and the blue-eyed boy of the late former chief minister Jayalalithaa. He is now the Theni south district secretary of the DMK and is from the powerful Thevar community just like Dhinakaran.
The Theni constituency has Sholavandan, Usilampatti, Andipatti, Periyakulam, Bodinayakanur, and Cumbum assembly seats. The DMK won the Sholavandan, Andipatti, Periyakulam, and Cumbum seats while the AIADMK won the Usilampatti and Bodinayakanur seats.
In the 2021 assembly elections, DMK candidate A. Venkatesan won by 17, 045 votes in the Sholavandan assembly seat while in Usilampatti the AIADMK leader P. Ayyappan won the seat by 7477 votes.
The Andipatti seat was won by the DMK leader A. Maharajan by 8538 votes. Besides them, K.S. Saravanakumar won the Periyakulam seat by 21, 321 votes, while the AIADMK candidate and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam won from the Bondinayakanur seat by 11, 021 votes.
The Cumbum seat was won by the DMK leader N. Eramakrishnan by 42, 413 votes.
While the results of the assembly seats show an edge for the DMK, the Lok Sabha situation is different and Dhinakaran has the upper hand in the constituency.
Moreover, Paneerselvam (OPS), the NDA candidate from the Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency, and his son and former MP, P. Raveendranathan are strong figures of the Thevar community and this base is also used to support the campaign of Dhinakaran.
Dhinakaran while speaking to IANS said: “The Theni seat was previously Periyakulam Lok Sabha seat and I was an elected MP from this seat. I know people across the constituency and the presence of OPS and his son and former MP, P. Raveendranathan is helping my candidature.”
“I have high hopes of winning the seat and in the days to come, our campaign will accelerate and we will have the advantage, ” he added.
R. Nagarajan, an AIADMK worker who recently joined the AMMK, while speaking to IANS said: “Dhinakaran was very powerful during the days of Amma Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister. Many people have benefitted from Dhinakaran in this constituency and naturally, several neutral voters will shift their allegiance to him.”
“Other than this, the Thevar community which has always been an AIADMK supporter will throw their weight behind Dhinakaran. In addition to this, the most powerful Thevar face, OPS has also supported Dhinakaran and he has a good lead here, ” Nagarajan added.
While Thanga Tamil Selvan is also from the Thevar community, he is a DMK candidate, and hence the community is apprehensive of extending its support to him. Dhinakaran and his aunt V.K. Sasikala - the former aide of late Jayalalithaa, also have an intense personal rapport with the community.
The AIADMK nominee V. Narayanasamy is considered a weak candidate and hence, the fight is mainly between Thanga Tamil Selvan and T.T.V. Dhinakaran.
Thanga Tamil Selvan told IANS: “The fight here is between DMK and AIADMK just like across Tamil Nadu. T.T.V. Dhinakaran will finish a poor third here and DMK will win the seat.”
R. Shakthivel, a political analyst based out of Tirunelveli, told IANS that: “In South Tamil Nadu, the Thevar community has a major say and in Theni its presence is huge. While both T.T.V. Dhinakaran and Thanga Tamil Selvan belong to the community, there are several commitments towards Dhinakaran as he was a major power centre during the Jayalalithaa regime and had helped the Thevar community during that time. Naturally, the community will throw its weight behind him, except perhaps die hard cadre of the DMK.”
He said that the constituency was witnessing a tough battle as both the DMK and the NDA are in a neck-and-neck race here.
With only a week of extensive campaign remaining, the candidates are leaving no stone unturned to win the Theni seat.