AIADMK is down but not out!

After West Bengal, everyone is eagerly waiting to see the verdict of Tamil voters of 2021 general elections. First time Tamil Nadu elections were held for 4 decades without two great leaders Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi. AIADMK and DMK have been known to be arch rivals in Tamil politics. 

2021 elections are also held in a similar manner between two parties. Two national parties BJP and Congress are allay partners of AIADMK and DMK respectively. As exit polls predicted, M.K. Stalin led DMK won the election with 157 seats and AIADMK alliance with 77 seats.

 

No worries for DMK cadre even after Karunanidhi's death in the state. Late leader promoted his son Stalin as the next leader for DMK when he was alive. AIADMK cadre was full of suspicions on continuance of AIADMK. Sasikala was arrested and released but she didn’t show any interest in politics. Amid all odds, AIADMK performance surprised many political pundits. Though Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) took the charge as Chief Minister with the blessings of Sasikala, he emerged as a strong leader with his governance. DMK expected to sweep the elections based on the 2019 general elections where the party managed 38 Lok Sabha seats out of 40 in the state.

 

It is clear that DMK has failed to repeat the 2019 similar performance in 2021 state elections. Reportedly, M.K. Stalin hoped to secure over 200 seats. AIADMK puts up a tough fight and retains some of the traditional bastions which include Coimbatore and Salem districts. Unknown regional leader from western Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami stunned his critics by holding together a bickering party in the aftermath of J Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016. AIADMK has performed very well in the Kongu belt which is known for dominance of the Gounder community. EPS had announced reservations for Vanniyar Community which went in favor of AIADMK in Northern Tamil Nadu. Verdict of Tamil voters settles the debate over AIADMK’s leadership for coming 5 years.