Tamil Nadu assembly elections: Data no deterrent, law & order opposition’s favourite poll plank

CHENNAI: As Tamil Nadu inches closer to another Assembly election, the law-and-order situation has emerged as a key campaign issue. Opposition parties place crime and policing at the centre of their criticism of the DMK govt, even as official data points to a decline in major crimes such as murder, attempt to murder, rape and robbery, with only a marginal rise in dacoity cases in Chennai.

The AIADMK, BJP and TVK say the "deteriorating law and order" is an issue of accountability, alleging political interference in policing and raising concerns about safety in public spaces and for women. Their campaign messaging focuses on whether citizens feel secure and ‘inconsistent" enforcement, with social media amplifying individual incidents and shaping voter perception.

The DMK has rejected claims that it is going soft on crime and has cited its enforcement record. It has pointed to a series of police encounters in Chennai between 2021 and 2025, in which several history-sheeters, including Muthu Saravanan, Gnayiru Satish, Thiruvengadam, ‘Kakkathope' Balaji, ‘Seizing' Raja, ‘Thoppai' Ganesan and robber Jaffar Ghulam Abbas Hussain, were killed, as part of its action against organised crime.

The 2024 murder of BSP leader K Armstrong in Perambur has been used by opposition parties to underline concerns over gang rivalries in urban pockets. Incidents linked to Anna University and other attacks in public spaces have been cited in campaign speeches to question visible policing. The opposition further refer to cases such as the arrest of Jaffer Sadiq in an international drug racket to allege links between criminal networks and those in positions of influence.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has linked youth violence to drug proliferation, in his campaign remarks, while BJP leaders Nainar Nagendran and K Annamalai have argued that deterrence has weakened.

Data showing a decline in major crimes has been countered in campaign discussions by concerns over conviction rates, which remain around 32% in serious offences. Issues such as delays in filing charge-sheets, gaps in evidence collection and procedural lapses in cases under Pocso and NDPS Acts have been cited to question the effectiveness of the criminal justice process.

The DMK is expected to rely on official statistics and measures such as strengthening specialised anti-drug units, including the Anti-Narcotics Intelligence Unit, in its campaign response. Opposition parties, however, continue to argue that there is a gap between enforcement claims and outcomes.

Legal voices have also entered the debate. Advocate R Chandar said concerns persist over under-reporting of crimes through CSR entries, limited visible policing and an overburdened force. He added that enforcement patterns during election periods have contributed to perceptions of politically influenced policing.

Former DGP and MLA R Nataraj said law and order would influence the elections, noting that public perception is shaped more by the nature of crimes than by statistical trends. He said incidents involving public violence, such as the Armstrong murder or attacks in transit spaces, have a wider impact on voter sentiment. Former DGP M Ravi, however, said concerns around law and order are being amplified in the political contest.

The divergence between official crime data and public perception is expected to remain part of the campaign narrative, with parties using both statistics and incidents to influence voters ahead of the polls.


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