TN LS elections: BJP has edge in Vellore, Tirunelveli seats, NDA in Dharmapuri, Theni

Chennai, April 17 (IANS) Campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu will conclude on Wednesday evening as the state will go to polls on Friday, April 19.

While the DMK-led INDIA bloc has a commendable lead, the BJP and the NDA are likely to throw up some surprises.

BJP candidate AC Shanmugam in Vellore and Nainar Nagendran at the Tirunelveli Lok Sabha seat are likely to win.

NDA candidates from Dharmapuri and Theni, Sowmiya Anbumani and TTV Dhinakaran are also at an advantage.

AC Shanmugam who is a leader of the New Justice Party is contesting on a BJP ticket and is highly popular in the constituency. He had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on an AIADMK ticket and lost by a margin of only 8,141 votes against Kathir Anand of the DMK. This time again, Shanmugam is contesting against Kathir Anand.

It may be recalled that in 2019, the Vellore Lok Sabha election was suspended by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after Rs 100 crore was seized from the residence of a relative of Kathir Anand. The election was later held in August 2019 after the intervention of the Supreme Court.

The flying squad of the ECI seized Rs 7.5 lakh from the residence of his relative recently.

Shanmugam told IANS, “We will win this election. People are fed up of the performance of the current MP and also the state government. After the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Vellore there is a remarkable support for us in the constituency.

“People are also seeing the development work carried out by the Modi government in the last ten years and Tamil Nadu wants change. Vellore will elect me this time as the ‘Modi guarantee’ is working here.”

In Tirunelveli, BJP candidate and legislative party leader, Nainar Nagendran is also getting positive support in the constituency.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, DMK candidate, S Gnanathiraviam defeated the AIADMK candidate, Manoj Pandian by a margin of 1,85,720 votes. However in 2024, the Congress is contesting from the Tirunelveli seat and the AIADMK also has a new face.

Nainar Nagendran is a popular leader of Tamil Nadu and an MLA from the Tirunelveli Assembly seat. In the 2021 Assembly elections he won the seat by a margin of 23,107 votes defeating the DMK candidate, ALS Lakshmanan.

Nainar Nagendran was a minister in the previous AIADMK government and had later joined the BJP and contested the 2021 Assembly polls on a BJP ticket and won the seat.

PM Modi had in his speech at Ambasamudram grounds in Tirunelveli on April 15 created a major positive vibe for the BJP in the constituency.

Nainar Nagendran while speaking to IANS said, “PM Modi’s visit has given me a huge advantage and the BJP manifesto which has promised to spread Tamil language and Tamil culture globally has been accepted well by the people of Tirunelveli. We are in a position of advantage and I hope that we win the seat.”

The Dharmapuri seat is being contested by Sowmiya Anbumani of the Vanniyar party Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). Sowmiya Anbumani is the wife of PMK state President, Anbumani Ramadoss and is the daughter-in-law of party founder leader, S Ramadoss.

S Ramadoss is an iconic leader and highly respected among the Vanniyar community as he had single-handedly unified the community and bargained with all the ruling political parties of Tamil Nadu including the DMK and AIADMK for the benefit of the Vanniyar community.

Dharmapuri is a strong turf of the Vanniyar community and with Sowmiya Anbumani contesting, a majority of the community members will vote for her.

S Ramadoss has also extensively travelled through the constituency for electioneering.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections Anbumani Ramadoss lost the Dharmapuri Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 70,753 votes to DMK leader, Shenthilnathan.

However in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Senthilnathan has been denied a seat and A Mani is contesting.

The AIADMK is represented by Dr R Ashokan, who is the son of a local leader of the party.

PMK’s Sowmiya Anbumani while speaking to IANS said, “We are contesting the polls on the basis of the strength of our party, PMK as well on the development plank of the Union government led by PM Modi. The PM’s speech at Mettupalayam last week in my support was well received by the people and I do feel that the PMK will win the seat.”

Theni is another Lok Sabha constituency which the NDA is expecting to win. It may be recalled that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections it was Tehni that had denied the DMK a clean sweep.

AIADMK leader, P Ravindhranath won the seat by defeating Congress leader and former Union Minister, EVKS Elangovan by a margin of 76,693 votes.

TTV Dhinakaran who is the Founder President of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), has a deep connect in the constituency and is from the powerful Thevar community. He is opposed by DMK leader Thanga Tamil Selvan and AIADMK candidate, VT Narayanasamy.

Former Chief Minister, O Panneerselvam (OPS) who was expelled from the AIADMK is now an NDA-supported Independent at Ramanathapuram constituency. The deep support base of OPS and his son and former MP, Ravindhranath will give TTV Dhinakaran a great advantage and he might win this seat.