Tamil Nadu Assembly Polls 2021: Tamil Nadu’s politics is dominated by two regional parties — AIADMK and DMK — and this assembly election will reinforce regardless of whether this will continue even when new parties and leaders are coming up with new scripts to fill the perceived vacuum developed by the state’s two titans, K Karunanidhi and J Jayalalitha. In AIADMK, Jayalalitha was replaced by E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, who managed to run the government for 5 years but in the name of ‘Amma’.
MK Stalin, heir of Karunanidhi, also is going to town telling individuals what ‘Kalaignar’ did throughout his two-decade rule as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. By riding on the legacy developed by Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi, the successors of each the parties have admitted that they are no match to the leaders in whose name they seek an chance to govern. Now, this provides parties and leaders waiting in the wings to attempt and win the self-assurance of individuals in the absence of Amma and Kalaignar.
Besides AIADMK and DMK, there are two more fronts with one led by TTV Dhinakaran and the second by actor Kamal Haasan. Then there are 4 other regional parties that have not allied with any person. Those that are not in alliance are Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi ( contesting on 234) Armstrong’s Bahujan Samaj Party (65), K Krishnasamy-led Puthiya Tamilagam (60) and Republican Party of India of CK Thamizharasan (16). Among these, Seeman has developed some buzz but not sufficient to translate that into seats. In 2016, Seeman contested on 234 seats but could not win even one, the vote share was just above 1.07 per cent.
Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK) are new players in town, and are hoping to corner some pie in the state politics. But all opinion polls performed so far provide no indication of any alter in the mood of the individuals who usually vote to punish a leader or party and that can be completed by only backing these who can defeat the incumbent. Almost all polls have predicted the return of the DMK with more than 150 of 234 seats. Dhinakaran’s PMK is projected to get 1-5 although Haasan’s MNM predicted to bag 2-6, if these numbers hold accurate it would be a major setback for Kamal Haasan.
The final assembly election benefits showed that just two big parties, AIADMK-40.88 per cent and DMK- 31.39 per cent, cornered 72.27 per cent vote share. The other 3 biggest parties could not even cross double digits and their percentage was 6.47 per cent votes for Congress, 5.36 per cent for Pattali Makkal Katchi of Ramadoss, 2.86 per cent for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While Congress is contesting with DMK, the BJP is with the AIADMK. At least 11 partiers’ vote share was much less than the vote percentage of NOTA. Of all, 5 parties had contested on 234 seats but could win none.
Going by what has occurred in the previous and what opinion polls have predicted, the state’s electorate appears settled with the AIADMK and DMK for now.