Anbil Mahesh eyes hat-trick in Thiruverumbur amid split challenge

Trichy: School education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, one of the young organisational faces of the next-gen DMK, is seeking a third consecutive term from the Thiruverumbur assembly constituency, where he faces a mix of familiar rivals and a new challenge from a former party colleague.

A two-time MLA since 2016, Mahesh has retained the seat by defeating different AIADMK candidates, largely on the strength of his connect with residents' welfare associations and trade unions. However, this election presents a new dynamic with the entry of Navalpattu Viji alias Vijayakumar, a former DMK functionary who switched to TVK ahead of the polls.


The constituency, with 312 polling stations, includes key public sector establishments such as BHEL, Golden Rock Railway Workshop and the Ordnance Factory. Nearly half the segment is urban, covering 13 wards under the Trichy Corporation.

A third-generation DMK leader, Mahesh is considered close to the party leadership. After winning his debut election in 2016 and serving as an opposition MLA, he retained the seat in 2021 and was inducted into the council of ministers as school education minister. Despite his electoral success, some key promises remain pending, including the development of service roads along the Trichy–Thanjavur national highway and the relocation of the Ariyamangalam dump yard.

The AIADMK has fielded former Trichy MP P Kumar, who lost to Mahesh by nearly 50,000 votes in 2021. Though Kumar had reportedly preferred to contest from Manapparai, he has been nominated from Thiruverumbur.

"Kumar served as Trichy MP for ten years but did not make any significant contributions to Thiruverumbur. In contrast, MDMK MP Durai Vaiko addressed key issues in a short span. Until the election, the AIADMK was largely absent here," said Y Joseph, a resident of Kattur.

The TVK candidate Vijayakumar, who was previously associated with the DMK, had been booked in 2021 for allegedly threatening Mahesh on social media during internal party disputes. His candidature is expected to attract a section of younger voters, though some TVK cadres are reportedly unhappy over the party overlooking long-time workers.

The NTK has fielded Jallikattu T Rajessh, who secured over one lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in the Trichy segment.

"All four candidates belong to the same community, so caste may not be a deciding factor. Vijayakumar could split anti-incumbency votes, particularly among youth, but Mahesh appears to have strong backing from Left-leaning trade unions in BHEL, the railway workshop and ordnance factories. RWAs in urban areas may also support him to an extent," said a Trichy Corporation councillor.

With several proposed projects — including an Olympic Academy and the Thiruverumbur SIPCOT Industrial Park — still under implementation, the contest is likely to test the incumbent's performance record.

Mahesh's wife, Janani Mahesh, is also campaigning in rural areas.

"We have the strength of our alliance and the achievements of the DMK government over the past five years. We are confident of winning the seat again by a huge margin," Mahesh said.