The candidates from Tamil Nadu in fray for the crucial Lok Sabha elections comprise a host of names, ranging from kin of notorious brigands to second generation contestants. Greenhorns such as a politico’s spouse and a movie actor will also be making their political debut this time. The state where dynastic politics is a poll plank goes to polls on April 19.
Making her debut, forest brigand and one of the most wanted criminals Veerapan’s daughter Vidhya Rani will be contesting from Krishnagiri constituency for Tamil nationalist party Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK).
In July 2020, Rani joined the BJP and was appointed as the vice-president of its state youth wing but quit the party this year to join NTK, who have been fielding an equal number of men and women in every election.
NTK, is controversial for its eulogising of the militant separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who fought for a Tamil land in Sri Lanka and were wiped out by the island’s army in 2009, people familiar with the matter said. “For a while only forests were shaken, now even the land will shake...I’m proud to announce my dear daughter Vidhya Veerapan as the candidate,” NTK founder S Seeman had said after announcing Rani’s candidature while referring to her father.An advocate by profession, Rani has met her father only once.
NTK secured 4% vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and emerged as the third largest party in the 2021 assembly elections with 6.7% vote share, according to the data.
{{/usCountry}}NTK secured 4% vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and emerged as the third largest party in the 2021 assembly elections with 6.7% vote share, according to the data.
{{/usCountry}}Another interesting second generation contestant is Durai Vaiko. Known for his fiery speeches, Durai Vaiko’s father G Vaiko (then a Rajya Sabha MP) in 1993 led a rebellion from within the DMK in angst against late M Karunanidhi for nurturing his son and present party president and chief minister, MK Stalin. Karunanidhi ousted Vaiko.
In the following year Vaiko, also considered an LTTE sympathiser, founded the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) which eventually allied with the DMK.
Durai, who worked in an American firm, and ran his own business, got into active politics in the past three years since his father’s health at 78 started deteriorating. Three decades after G Vaiko’s rebellion against dynastic politics, the situation has come full circle for the former with Durai being named in Trichy seat.
A few days back, Durai while campaigning in Trichy broke down talking about the attacks on his family for dynastic politics saying that even when the DMK offered him a seat in the previous assembly election, he had turned it down. “I said I will work for other candidates…I came into politics only so that my father and cadre who had toiled for 30 years aren’t humiliated,” Durai said while being flanked by DMK ministers S Reghupathy and K N Nehru.
In 2022, Durai had told HT that his father was “very uncomfortable with this succession plan acutely aware that what he stood against would be thrown at him. however, since MDMK cadre were anxious about the future of the party, he stepped in for campaigning, seat negotiations and attending weddings and funerals.”
The DMK coalition is part of the INDIA bloc and had won 38 out of the 29 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) changed its candidate and announced that their party president and former Union minister minister Anbumani Ramadoss’ wife, Sowmiya will contest from the seat in Dharmapuri. Sowmya, a political novice, though her family has veteran politicians will face DMK candidate A Mani and AIADMK’s R Ashokan. She is the president of the environmental organisation, Pasumai Thaaayagam. Her maternal grandfather K Vinayagam had fought for towns such as Tiruttani earlier annexed to Andhra Pradesh during the bifurcation in 1950s and later became part of Tamil Nadu. Her father M Krishnaswami was a two-time M and brother Vishnu Prasad is the Congress candidate for Cuddalore.
PMK is contesting in 10 seats in the BJP alliance after the AIADMK broke off with the latter in last September. The caste-based party of Vanniyar community has a strong base in Dharmapuri. Her husband and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani had won the seat in 2014 in Lok Sabha polls but lost in 2019 parliamentary polls to DMK’s Senthil Kumar. Of the six assembly segments in Dharmapuri in 2021 assembly elections, the AIADMK won three and the remaining were won by PMK who were then allies.
Another surprise announcement came from the BJP which fielded veteran actor Radhikaa Sarathkumar from Virudhunagar constituency.
She will also be making her political debut. Her husband, Sarathkumar, also an actor who founded the outfit, All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi, merged with the BJP a few weeks ago. “Politics is not new to me but I have to use this opportunity well,” Radhikaa said earlier.
Interestingly, she will face her yesteryear co-star Vijayakanth’s son Vijaya Prabhakar in Virudhunagar . Late Vijayakanth’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) has allied with the AIADMK and contested in five seats. Vijayakanth briefly altered Tamil Nadu’s duopoly politics when he became the leader of opposition in 2011 but the DMDK did not have any other electoral fortunes and his son is also a political novice.