The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led front registered impressive wins in the central region accounting for eight revenue districts by making a sweep in 32 out of the 41 Assembly constituencies.
While AIADMK won in 26 constituencies, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) emerged victorious in three constituencies, Communist Party of India (CPI) in two and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in one.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led front won in nine constituencies – DMK in 7, Congress and Pattali Makkak Katchi (PMK) in one each.
The AIADMK front routed the DMK alliance in two districts – Pudukottai and Nagapattinam which accounted for six seats each. In Pudukottai the AIADMK front won in Aranthangi, Viralimalai, Alangudi, Tirumayam and Gandarvakottai. The CPI won in Pudukottai.
In Nagapattinam the AIADMK won Srikazhi, Nagapattinam, Poompuhar, Vedaranyam, while CPI (M) was successful in Kilvelur-reserved and DMDK in Mayiladuthurai.
The DMK won two seats each in Thanjavur district (Tiruvidaimaruthur- reserved and Kumbakonam) and Tiruvarur district (Tiruvarur and Mannargudi), one each in Karur district (Aravakurichi), Perambalur district (Kunnam) and Tiruchi district (Lalgudi).
Its ally PMK won in Jayamkondam in Ariyalur district and the Congress in Pattukottai in Thanjavur district.
The notable winners in the central region are the AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa who trounced N. Anand of DMK by a margin of 41,848 votes in Srirangam constituency and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, who defeated Kodavasal M. Rajendran by a margin of 50,249 votes in Tiruvarur constituency.
The other notable winners from the AIADMK front are former Ministers K.P. Krishnan in Alangudi in Pudukottai district, R. Vaithialingam in Orathanad in Thanjavur district, A. Pappa Sundaram in Kulithalai in Karur.
‘Kaduvetti' J. Guru, a front rank leader of the PMK, won from Jayamkondam seat in Ariyalur district, defeating AIADMK's P. Elavazhagan by a margin of 15,138 votes.
The results dealt crushing blows to all the four State Ministers – K.N. Nehru (Tiruchi West); N. Selvaraj (Manachanallur); S.N.M. Ubayathullah (Thanjavur); and U. Mathivanan (Kilvelur-reserved) . Former Union and State Minister, S. Regupathy lost to C. Vijayabaskar of AIADMK in Viralimalai constituency by a huge margin of 39,416 votes.
The Congress, which contested in 11 seats, suffered humiliation, as it could manage to win only in Pattukottai constituency in Thanjavur district. Its cup of woe was full, when former State and Union Minister, S. Thirunavukkarasar, a consecutive six time winner from Aranthangi since 1977, suffered defeat at the hands of M. Rajanayagam, a political novice by a margin of 16,152 votes in the same seat.
Sitting Congress MLAs Palai T. Amaramoorthy (Ariyalur); R.M. Subburam (Tirumayam), S. Rajkumar (Mayiladuthurai); M. Rajasekaran (Musiri); were all defeated. In two constituencies, independents finished second ahead of the recognised party candidates. In Manapparai seat in Tiruchi district, K. Ponnusamy, a former AIADMK Minister, who contested as an independent, polled 52,721 votes to finish second behind the AIADMK candidate R. Chandrasekar. The Congress candidate, Subha Somu, who polled 26,629 votes, was pushed to third place.
In Vedaranyam, the sitting DMK MLA, S.K. Vedarathinam, who contested as a rebel candidate, since the seat was allotted to PMK, finished second with a tally of 42,871 votes.
