DMK goes all out to strengthen base in western T.N.

AIADMK continues to call the shots and BJP is trying to expand its reach in the Kongu region

The ruling DMK is pulling out all the stops to strengthen its organisation in the western region of Tamil Nadu, where the AIADMK continues to call the shots and the BJP is trying to expand its reach. The region contributed immensely to the AIADMK’s victory in 2011 and 2016; even in 2021, when the election was held without AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa, it defied the DMK’s efforts to break through. Of the 68 seats in the Kongu region, the DMK was able to win just 24, after a sweeping victory in the Lok Sabha election two years ago. “The trend will change in the coming elections,” said Thoppu N.D. Venkatachalam, former AIADMK Minister who recently joined the DMK. Former AIADMK leader and Minister S. Muthusamy, of Erode, who joined the DMK a decade ago, is now the Housing Minister. The DMK also took in R. Mahendran, former vice-president of the MNM, a well-known face in the region. P. Palaniappan, a key leader of the AMMK and former AIADMK Minister, has also been inducted into the party to boost its prospects in Dharmapuri.