Chennai: Actor Vijayakanth’s DMDK, which had a strong presence in Chennai’s neighbourhood of Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, has finally lost the third position, which holds the key for all future poll negotiations, to its rival PMK.
In the 10 constituencies in Tiruvallur district, PMK has taken the third position in seven and secured 1.94,660 votes. The DMDK along with its alliance parties had got 1.31,793 votes and was in the third position in three places.
In the 2009 Parliamentary elections, the first after the delimitation exercise, the DMDK had got between 11 to 17 per cent votes in the Assembly segments in the district. Support for Vijayakanth, declared as the Chief Ministerial candidate, has evaporated in Tiruvallur district and its performance was worse than its junior partners in the alliance. The MDMK which fought in just two seats polled over 22,000 in Avadi and over 15,000 in Poonamallee.
The CPI (M) got over 19,000 in Maduravoyal, but the DMDK candidates got an average of about 12,000 votes in the district. The PMK polled around 30,000 in Tiruttani and 43,000 in Gummidipoondi, showing that its vote bank is intact.
In Kancheepuram district too, the perception that DMDK is a strong party lies shattered as the PWA-DMDK alliance secured just 1,45,549 votes and trailed behind PMK in eight of the 11 constituencies.
The PMK has a total of 1,80,003 votes and crossed 20,000 votes in Chengalpattu, 28,000 in Tiruporur, 24,000 in Uthiramerur and 30,000 in Kancheepuram seat. The MDMK polled over 25,000 in Tiruporur and above 14,000 in Pallavaram. The VCK got over 17,000 in Cheyyur, but the average votes got by DMDK was only around 12,000.
In 2009 Parliament elections, the PMK lost all the seats it was allocated in the AIADMK front. In 2011 polls too, the party won just three seats in DMK alliance.
The PMK’s poor performance was attributed to the emergence of Vijayakanth’s DMDK which had eroded the PMK’s support.
In 2014 elections to Lok Sabha, the PMK was forced to fight in lesser number of seats and accept Vijayakanth as the alliance leader. Now, the PMK has finally settled scores with DMDK, besides retaining its bargaining capacity in alliance negotiations.
With its present support, the PMK will now be considered by the two major Dravidian parties as a party which could swing poll results in Chennai’s neighbourhood.
