DMK maintains its dominance in Chennai; BJP's Tamilisai Soundararajan loses

MK Stalin (File image: Twitter/@arivalayam)

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) continues its dominance in the Tamil Nadu capital, Chennai, by winning in all three Lok Sabha constituencies: North, Central, and South.

In Chennai South, DMK's incumbent MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian defeated former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan by over 2.2 lakh votes. Thangapandian secured 5.1 lakh votes, while Soundararajan garnered only 2.9 lakh votes, leaving AIADMK's Dr J Jayavardhan a distant third with 1.7 lakh votes.

In Chennai Central, senior DMK leader and former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran won by over 2.4 lakh votes. Maran secured 4.1 lakh votes, while Vinoj P Selvam of the BJP received 1.6 lakh votes, and Parthasarathy B of the DMDK trailed behind with around 72,000 votes.

In North Chennai, Kalanidhi Veeraswamy of the DMK won by a margin of 3.3 lakh votes. Veeraswamy secured 4.9 lakh votes, with R Manohar of the AIADMK coming in second with 1.5 lakh votes. RC Paul Kanagaraj of the BJP managed to secure around 1.1 lakh votes.

In the 2021 assembly polls, DMK swept all 15 contested seats, with its alliance partner Congress winning one. Chennai has 16 assembly segments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in T-Nagar to rally support for party candidates, while TN CM MK Stalin also campaigned in various residential neighbourhoods of the constituencies.

Also, read: Prestigious South Chennai to see DMK, AIADMK, BJP face-off in Lok Sabha Polls

Residents in the three urban seats of Chennai face major issues such as severe water shortages during summer and flooding during the monsoon.

DMK also highlighted alleged bias against Tamil students in exams such as NEET. On the other hand, the BJP raised corruption allegations against Stalin's family and ministers, as well as the lack of development in Chennai.

According to data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), three Parliamentary constituencies in Chennai recorded a polling percentage of 55.9 percent in the 2024 polls. A total of 27.2 lakh out of 48.6 lakh registered voters in the city voted.

Chennai Central recorded the lowest turnout in the state at 53.9 percent, with 7.28 lakh of its 13.5 lakh electorate voting. Chennai North had the highest turnout at 60.1 percent, with 8.9 lakh out of 14.9 lakh voters. Chennai South saw a 54.1 percent turnout, with 10.9 lakh of its 20.2 lakh electorate voting.

Chennai South

In the fiercely contested electoral battle among the three Lok Sabha constituencies in Chennai, the South constituency stands out, witnessed a triangular clash between DMK's sitting MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian, senior BJP leader and former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, and former MP and AIADMK candidate J Jayavardhan.

Chennai South, the second-largest Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu with around 20.2 lakh voters, has assembly segments including Virugampakkam, Saidapet, Thiyagarayanagar, Mylapore, Velachery, and Sholinganallur. Velachery is represented by a Congress MLA, while the rest have DMK MLAs.

Thangapandian, who won from Chennai South in 2019, faced anti-incumbency sentiments, particularly following the December 2023 floods. Jayavardhan, who was elected in 2014 with a 41.3 percent vote share, suffered defeat to Thangapandian by a margin of 2.6 lakh votes in 2019.

Chennai South boasts a diverse segment, with the tech corridor of Sholinganallur, the poor and middle-class localities of Saidapet and Virugambakkam, the commercial hub of T-Nagar, and the upper-middle-class dominated area of Mylapore.

Chennai Central

Chennai Central, with over 13 lakh voters, is among the smaller constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The constituency consists of Villivakkam, Egmore, Harbour, Chepauk, Triplicane, Thousand Lights, and Anna Nagar, all represented by the DMK. Chennai Central constituency has a significant population of North Indian electors in segments like Harbour, Dalits, and slum dwellers in areas such as Egmore, and Muslims in Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni and Thousand Lights.

Dayanidhi Maran was elected from the constituency three times (2004, 2009, and 2019), and lost only once to AIADMK's SR Vijayakumar in 2014. This was the only time since 1977 that the AIADMK won the constituency, which otherwise elected only DMK or Congress candidates. Dayanidhi's father Murasoli Maran represented the constituency thrice (1996, 1998 and 1999).

The constituency comprises six segments: Villivakkam, Egmore, Harbour, Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, Thousand Lights, and Anna Nagar. Notably, Udhayanidhi Stalin, state minister and son of CM MK Stalin, represents Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni.

The last time the BJP contested from this constituency was in 1996 when the party candidate received just 3.41% of the vote share.

North Chennai

North Chennai is considered a region lagging in development. The constituency boasts a significant working population and is characterised by densely populated old buildings.

The major candidates in this constituency are Kalanidhi Veeraswamy of the DMK, R Manohar of the AIADMK, and RC Paul Kanagaraj of the BJP.

North Chennai has assembly segments like Thiruvottiyur, Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar, Perambur, Kolathur, Thiru-Vi-Ka-Nagar, and Royapuram, all represented by the DMK MLAs. Kolathur assembly segment is represented by DMK president and CM MK Stalin. Except for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, when AIADMK's TG Venkatesh Babu won, the constituency consistently elected DMK and Congress candidates.

Also, read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: DMK aiming high with its welfare measures, seeks 2019 repeat of a sweep, AIADMK banks on EPS