The AIADMK general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Tuesday observed that the party had suffered an erosion of 10% in its vote base.
This void had to be filled only through the youth, he said at a meeting of office-bearers of the party’s Information Technology (IT) wing.
According to a spokesperson, what Mr. Palaniswami meant was that those who were aged about 50 when he had entered the Assembly for the first time in 1989, were no longer able to support the party due to their advanced age. This segment had constituted 10% of the party’s vote base. Now, only the youth could fill the gap.
Asked what the general secretary meant by the term “youth”, the spokesperson said it covered those aged less than 40.
Fall in vote share
According to the data of electors for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, those aged below 39 accounted for about 40% of the total number of electors of around 6.23 crore.
A perusal of the party’s performance since the 2011 Assembly election would show that there has been a decline in its vote share. In 2011, when the party returned to power, its vote share was 38.4%. It increased to 40.8% five years later. In 2021, when it lost power, the figure was 33.29%.
Lok Sabha polls
As for the Lok Sabha elections, the party’s vote share, which was 44.92% in 2014, fell to 19.39% in 2019. In the recent election, it was 20.57%.
Published - October 02, 2024 12:27 am IST
