Vijay Vasanth of the Congress won against BJP's Radhakrishnan in Kanniyakumari with 1.79 lakh votes, as per Election Commission of India (ECI).
Polling in the Kanniyakumari constituency took place on April 19 in the first phase of the Lok Sabha 2024.
Kanniyakumari constituency is one of Tamil Nadu’s 39 parliamentary seats and historically has been a stronghold of the Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had gained traction in recent years, leading to a shift in the political landscape.
This year, the contest was expected to be a three-way battle between Vijay Vasanth of the Congress, Pon Radhakrishnan of the BJP, and Nazerath Pasilian of the AIADMK, which split from the BJP last September.
Vijay Vasanth, the current Member of Parliament, won the bypolls after the passing of his father H Vasanthakumar in August 2020.
The constituency's demographics, with a significant minority and fishing community population, played a crucial role in determining the outcome. The BJP had garnered support among these communities over time. Both Vasanth and Radhakrishnan are Hindus belonging to the Nadar community that is dominant in Kanyakumari.
On May 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had concluded the BJP's poll campaign and went on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu for his meditation break in Kanniyakumari at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
The BJP was expected to win 1-3 seats in Tamil Nadu, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) securing 1-3 seats. The Indian National Congress (INC) was estimated to secure 8-11 seats and INDIA bloc 36-39 and others 0-2 seats, according to News18 exit polls on June 1.
In the Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha Elections 2019, DMK, led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, won 38 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats.
In Kanniyakumari, Congress’s H Vasanthakumar, a prominent local leader and former Member of Parliament, emerged victorious in Kanniyakumari, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) P Radhakrishnan in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Vasanthakumar defeated Pon Radhakrishnan by securing 6,27,235 votes. He won by a margin of 259,933 votes.
In 2014, Radhakrishnan of the BJP won the seat, marking a departure from the Congress-DMK dominance.
Kanniyakumari has been BJP’s best performance so far in Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. It has maintained a steady vote share there irrespective of whether it was or wasn’t in an alliance with AIADMK or even other local allies.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
