The PMK’s Vanniyar vote bank is believed to have played a crucial role in ensuring a comfortable win for AIADMK candidate M.R. Muthamizhselvan (in pic) in the Vikravandi Assembly constituency.
The AIADMK had mounted a concerted campaign, deploying senior Ministers who had perfect on-field coordination. But its campaign managers did not hesitate to give more lung space to the PMK when it came to electioneering, as Vanniyars constituted 40% of the electorate.
The DMK did try to woo the dominant community by promising compartmental reservation for Vanniyars within the 20% reservation for MBCs and a memorial for Vanniyar leader A.G. Govindasamy. “The electorate knew that the AIADMK would be in power till 2021. So, it did not find this too attractive,” said an AIADMK leader. PMK leader S. Ramadoss had launched a no-holds-barred attack on the DMK in a bid to retain his hold on the Vanniyars, and accused the Dravidian major of treating the community like ‘curry leaves’ during elections. He turned aggressive towards DMK president M.K. Stalin as the polling date drew closer.
The seemingly lacklustre and repetitive style of campaigning by Mr. Stalin, as exemplified by the Thinnai (veranda) campaign, failed to strike a chord with large sections of the electorate.
The AIADMK also touched on a number of local issues.
