TIRUCHY: The electoral battle in Karur district is shaping up into a straight, high-stakes contest between arch rivals DMK and AIADMK across all four Assembly segments — a scenario long demanded by cadres on both sides.
The contours of this direct fight were laid as early as February, when NDA constituents met to firm up election strategy at a meeting chaired by former AIADMK minister MR Vijayabhaskar. At the meeting, AIADMK functionaries forcefully argued that the party should contest all four constituencies Karur, Krishnarayapuram (SC), Kulithalai and Aravakurichi instead of ceding space to allies.
Cadres pointed to the 2021 precedent, when Aravakurichi was allotted to the BJP and its state president K Annamalai contested, only to lose to the DMK candidate. With indications that Annamalai is unwilling to contest this time, local AIADMK leaders renewed their push, insisting that a full-fledged party presence in all segments would energise the grassroots.
They argued that since the DMK consistently fields its own candidates across the district, the AIADMK must mirror that approach to galvanise cadre mobilisation. Vijayabhaskar, who chaired the meeting, assured that the demand would be conveyed to party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, adding that “the wishes of cadres would be fulfilled.”
The party’s eventual candidate list reflected that shift. The AIADMK named MR Vijayabhaskar (Karur), K Selvakumar (Aravakurichi), S Karunakaran (Kulithalai) and Dr S Divya (Krishnarayapuram–SC), triggering visible enthusiasm among cadres, who quickly moved into campaign mode.
The DMK, for its part, had already decided to contest all four constituencies, fielding Asi M Thiyagarajan (Karur), Sooriyanur A Chandran (Kulithalai), R Elango (Aravakurichi) and CK Raja (Krishnarayapuram–SC).
With both Dravidian majors opting to contest all four segments, the stage is now set for a direct fight in every constituency. Cadres on either side appear equally energised, and early tactical positioning by both sides suggests an intense, closely fought battle in Karur.