History shows Dharmapuri is unlucky for sitting MPs

DHARMAPURI: The

Dharmapuri

constituency hasn’t favoured the MPs seeking a second term since 1977. The same fate has befallen on Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss.


The constituency was created in 1977 and since then it was a strong fort of the PMK. “We had won from the constituency in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2014,” said a senior PMK leader. Talking to TOI, he said the AIADMK, DMK and the Congress have won from the constituency two times each, while it favoured the Tamil Manila Congress (TMC) once in 1996.

According the source, the parties hadn’t fielded the

sitting MPs

for the second time since 1977.

In 1977, the Congress’ Vazhappady K Ramamurthy, a native of Vazhapadi in Salem, won from the constituency, which in 1980 went to the DMK’s K Arjunan. In 1984, the Dharmapuri LS seat went to AIADMK’s M Thambidurai and the AIADMK repeated the victory in the 1989 polls but the candidate was different - M G Sekhar.

The Congress captured the constituency in 1991 when it fielded K V Thangabalu, but in the 1996 general elections the seat went to the TMC’s P Theertharaman.

The PMK first tasted victory from the constituency in 1998 when K Parymohan was elected and the party repeated the success stories in 1999 through P D Elangovan and in 2004 when R Senthil was elected to the parliament.

In 2009, DMK’s R Thamaraiselvan won from the constituency, but the PMK made a comeback in 2014 through Dr Anbumani Ramadoss.

Citing the records, the party source said the first Dharmapuri MP, Ramamurthy, had chosen to contest the 1980 polls from the Krishnagiri constituency. “He won from Krishnagiri three times in 1984, 1989 and 1991.”

PMK’s Dr R Senthil, who won from the constituency in 2004, lost his seat to DMK’s R Thamaraiselvan in 2009 when he contested for the second time. Similarly, Thamaraiselvan lost his seat to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss in 2014 during his second outing.

“Anbumani attempted to break this ‘second-time unlucky factor’ but got defeated,” the source said.