Once 3rd largest party, AIADMK now has one

While the AIADMK put up a tough fight with the DMK in 22 Assembly seats, it was a walkover for the party in the recently-held Lok Sabha election. 

The AIADMK, clashing directly with the DMK in eight Lok Sabha seats, scored a zero. The AIADMK just managed to perform better against the Congress and the VCK in the Theni and Chidambaram constituencies. The overall vote share of the AIADMK in the Lok Sabha election was around 18 per cent, a dip of more than 20 per cent when compared to the days the party contested under the leadership of the late J Jayalalithaa. 

In 2014, the AIADMK faced the Lok Sabha elections alone and had secured 44.44 percent of votes, overtaking the DMK which had secured only 23 per cent of the share. In the elections this time, the party vote share has, however, dipped to 18.5 percent, whereas the DMK vote share surged to 32.76 percent. 

The AIADMK vote share has dipped alarmingly despite the party forming a mega alliance comprising the BJP, the PMK and the DMDK. The AIADMK vote share along with its allies-the BJP, the PMK, the DMDK and the TMC-dwindled with all the alliance partners, too, losing their seats. However, the AIADMK fared better in the bypolls with 33 per cent vote share. 

AIADMK party leader O Panneerselvam’s son, P Raveendranath, was the saving grace for the AIADMK, who trounced Congress leader EVKS Elangovan in the election. 

Chidambaram AIADMK candidate P Chandrasekhar was the other candidate who had a neck-andneck fight with VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan. 

Chandrasekhar, however, lost to the VCK leader by 3219 votes. However, AIADMK leaders Panneerselvam and Edappadi K. Palaniswami seemed to be content with their party’s performance. In a statement, they thanked the voters in the State for confirming the majority for the AIADMK government. 

While the Lok Sabha results were a setback to the AIADMK, the public has proved that the AIADMK has the capability to rule the State, they stated. 

“There were vested interests going gaga that the political future of the AIADMK is doomed after the demise of party leader, J Jayalalithaa, but now the results in the by-polls has proved that the AIADMK vote bank is intact,” the duo said in a joint statement.