AIADMK hopes to take advantage of ‘anti-incumbency’, solid vote base in coastal districts

AIADMK intensifies campaign in coastal districts, leveraging anti-incumbency and strong voter base to reclaim lost Assembly seats.

The AIADMK has mounted an unusually intense campaign in the Cauvery delta districts of Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam, reading the electoral terrain as more favourable than the 2021 verdict might suggest. Contesting directly in four of the six Assembly segments across the two districts — while ceding the remaining two to its NDA allies — the party is banking on a combination of a good vote base, perceived anti-incumbency, and micro-level mobilisation to tilt the scales in its favour.

In 2021, the AIADMK in four seats in these districts and won only in Vedaranyam. However, party strategists point to the narrow margins of defeat in the remaining constituencies as evidence that its core support remains intact. The inference within the party is that even a marginal swing could alter outcomes in at least a few segments this time.

At the heart of its campaign narrative is the allegation that the DMK government had failed to deliver significant infrastructure in the region over the past five years — a line the AIADMK believes was resonating, particularly in rural and coastal belts.

S. Pownraj, Mayiladuthurai district secretary, two-time MLA, and the party’s candidate from Poompuhar, is confident that the “ground looks bright”. He pointed to the party fielding M. Sathi, a former MLA, in Sirkazhi, recalling her development record. At the same time, he acknowledged that the DMK’s decision to allocate Sirkazhi to the MDMK — contesting on the Rising Sun symbol — could lend the alliance a structural advantage.

Yet, the AIADMK sees openings. The initial ambiguity over the MDMK’s choice of symbol in Sirkazhi is viewed by party functionaries as having blunted early campaign momentum. In contrast, AIADMK candidates have been on the ground for months, building booth-level connections.

A key addition to the party’s social coalition is P. Kaliyammal, who polled 14,823 votes as a Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate in 2021 and has since joined the AIADMK. Her induction is expected to consolidate support among fishing communities in both Poompuhar and Sirkazhi — constituencies where the party traditionally claims an edge.