Lok Sabha polls | DMK to contest in Coimbatore after a decade; Theni could pose a challenge

DMK to field candidate in Coimbatore after a decade, retaining seats in Chennai and contesting in 17 other constituencies.

The ruling DMK is set to field its candidate in the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency after a decade. The last time a DMK candidate won this seat was in 1996. After finalising seat-sharing arrangement with its allies on Monday, March 18, 2024 the DMK has retained the three seats in Chennai city and will contest in 17 other constituencies in the Lok Sabha polls 2024.

Though the Dravidian party contested in 21 constituencies in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there have been minor changes in the seats this time. The party has decided to enter the fray in Coimbatore, Arani and Theni constituencies, which it had allotted to its allies during the 2019 polls. This time, the DMK has also allotted its sitting constituencies -- Cuddalore, Dindigul, Mayiladuthurai and Tirunelveli -- to its allies.

In the 2019 general elections, the DMK had also fielded candidates from other political parties in Erode, Namakkal, Perambalur, Villupuram seats on its ‘Rising Sun’ symbol. This time, the DMK has chosen to field its own candidates in Erode and Perambalur, while its ally, KDMK, will field its candidate on the ‘Rising Sun’ symbol in Namakkal.

The DMK’s candidate in Coimbatore is among the most awaited, as the seat is considered challenging turf for the party, and has been held not only by its arch rival the AIADMK, but by the BJP too, in the past. The Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat comprises six Assembly segments: five of these are held by the AIADMK and one is by the BJP’s national women’s wing secretary, Vanathi Srinivasan.

The DMK is possibly hoping that its president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s visits to Coimbatore and Tiruppur and the special focus he has accorded to the western region since the 2021 Assembly polls, yield results.

As DMK’s treasurer T.R. Baalu, deputy general secretaries Kanimozhi and A. Raja have been holding the Sriperumbudur, Thoothukudi and The Nilgris (SC) constituencies respectively, they are most likely to be renominated. Ms. Kanimozhi’s was the only nomination received by the party for the Thoothukudi seat.

Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South are presently held by DMK MPs – Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, Dayanidhi Maran and Sumathi alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian. Mr. Veerasamy is the son of veteran DMK leader Arcot Veerasamy, Mr. Maran is the son of former Union Minister Murasoli Maran and Ms. Thangapandian is the sister of T.N.’s Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu.