BJP washout; IUML, AMMK open account in central TN

Trichy: Amid the Vijay wave that led to the fall of several high-profile candidates across the state, including outgoing CM M K Stalin, the central region comprising 41 assembly segments largely voted in favour of the DMK alliance. Though the total seats won by the alliance plunged from 37 in 2021 to 21 now, DMK won the most number of seats in the region. Meanwhile, IUML and AMMK tasted their maiden electoral success in the region by winning Papanasam (Thanjavur) and Mannargudi (Tiruvarur), respectively.Out of the 41 seats, DMK's Rising Sun won 17 seats, followed by TVK with 12 seats. AIADMK was pushed to third place with six seats, slightly improving its previous score of four in 2021. BJP, which contested in six seats, including one by TMC (Moopanar) contesting on the lotus symbol, lost all of them. Except in Gandarvakottai, where BJP's C Uthayakumar came second, candidates of the saffron party were pushed to the third spot in five other seats, including Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Pudukottai, behind DMK and TVK. Meanwhile, the winning tally of Congress declined from two in 2021 to one now. Sitting MLA T Ramachandran of Congress lost Aranthangi seat to TVK's Mohamed Farvas. Congress managed to retain only Mayiladuthurai in the region. Similarly, MMK, which contested on DMK's Rising Sun symbol in Nagapattinam and Manapparai, managed to win only Nagapattinam. Sitting MLA Abdul Samad lost Manapparai to TVK's R Kathiravan. CPM's tally dipped too. The party's incumbent MLA Chinnadurai lost the Gandharvakottai seat to TVK's N Subramanian. But other communist candidates, CPM's T Latha and CPI's K Marimuthu, won Kilvelur and Thiruthuraipoondi segments respectively.Trichy, which decisively voted in 2021 for DMK by electing all DMK candidates in nine seats, elected only two this time, including principal secretary K N Nehru. TVK made a massive inroad in the central district by winning six of nine seats, defeating school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in Thiruverumbur. "Since 1962, this is the first time IUML won a seat in central TN (Papanasam). Minority population accounts only for 17-18% in the constituency, but hard work by IUML cadres and support by the DMK alliance helped us win," A M Shahjahan, IUML MLA from Papanasam, told TOI. After 15 years, PMK won a seat in the region when G Vaithilingam won Jayankondam by defeating sitting DMK MLA Ko Sa Ka Kannan. Previously, PMK's Guru held the seat between 2011 and 2016. AIADMK won Karur, Ariyalur, Lalgudi, Viralimalai, Nannilam and Vedaranyam.