Dravidian parties make inroads into Cong. citadel

Congress has won up to 4 of the 6 seats in most polls since 1963 in Karaikal

The people in Karaikal region have always played an important role in the outcome of the elections and formation of ministries in the Union Territory. Karaikal is the political nerve centre of the Union Territory and considered to be a traditional stronghold of the Congress.

The Congress has won up to four of the six seats (prior to the 2004 delimitation) in most elections since 1963. Its most dominant win came in the 2001 elections when it annexed four seats, while the party managed only two seats in 1996 and drew a blank in 2006. In the 2011 elections, the Congress could win only from the Karaikal North constituency.

However, both the Dravidian parties have made inroads into the Congress citadel due to political undercurrents in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The region has five Assembly segments of Nedungadu (reserved), Thirunallar, Karaikal North, Karaikal South and Neravy T.R. Pattinam. While the AINRC retained its tally of two seats in the recent elections, the Congress, AIADMK and DMK have annexed one seat each.

Two women MLAs

Karaikal has also returned two women legislators – Chandirapriyanga of AINRC from Nedungadu and A. Geetha of DMK from Neravy T.R. Pattinam. Of the five legislators three are debutants. They include K.A.U. Asana of AIADMK, Chandirapriyanga and A. Geetha.

The important feature of this election in Karaikal is that Mr. Asana (then with DMDK), who was defeated in 2006 and 2011 elections by A.M.H. Nazeem of the DMK, has wrested the seat from Mr. Nazeem by a margin of 20 votes.

Chandirapriyanga, elected from Nedungadu, is the daughter of senior political leader M. Chandrakasu. He was the ministerial colleague of Mr. Rangasamy in the previous government.

Mr. Chandrakasu opted out of the poll battle on health grounds. But his daughter has retained the seat by defeating her Congress rival A. Marimuthu. As for Neravy T.R. Pattinam, A. Geetha has wrested the seat from V.M.C. Sivakumar of the AIADMK.

Mr. Sivakumar, a five-time MLA, had contested the 2011 elections as an Independent candidate and defeated Geetha by a margin of 358 votes.