Puzzled why people did not vote for us, says Regupathy

Pudukottai: DMK leader S Regupathy, who secured a third consecutive victory from Thirumayam, said the party was "puzzled" over why its welfare-driven governance did not fully translate into votes across the state.Speaking to reporters in Thirumayam on Monday night, Regupathy expressed gratitude to the electorate for giving him a "hat-trick" win, but admitted that the party was still assessing voter sentiment, particularly among the youth. "The youth of Tamil Nadu clearly desired a change. While we rolled out several schemes aimed at future generations, we are unsure how they perceived these initiatives," he said. He added that the party's immediate concern was whether the expectations of those seeking change would be met. Regupathy underscored that the Dravidian model of governance had historically improved education, employment and living standards in the state, enabling Tamils to achieve global recognition. However, he noted that younger voters may not fully appreciate these gains due to generational distance from past socio-political conditions.Taking a swipe at emerging political alternatives, he said comparisons between past leaders and new entrants were misplaced, asserting that political experience and grassroots work remained crucial. He said the DMK would function as a responsible opposition, strengthen its youth outreach, and focus on better communicating its ideology ahead of future elections.