DMK's Dayanidhi Maran wins Central Chennai constituency in Tamil Nadu

Three-time MP and senior leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Dayanidhi Maran won against BJP's Vinoj Selvam

Three-time MP and senior leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Dayanidhi Maran, won by a margin of 2,44,689 votes from Tamil Nadu’s Chennai Central constituency, the Election Commission of India (ECI) website reported.

Central Chennai Parliamentary DMK candidate Dayanidhi Maran during his election campaign near Valluvar Kottam in Chennai. (ANI Photo)

Maran’s challenger Vinoj P Selvam of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), lost by securing 1,69,159 votes.

The constituency is considered Maran’s stronghold, having secured victories in the 2004, 2009, and 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

In 2014, he was defeated by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate SR Vijayakumar by a margin of 5.63% votes. However, in the last Lok Sabha polls, he retained the seat and secured a 57.15% vote share.

Maran, the son of former Union minister Murasoli Maran and the grandnephew of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, was the telecom minister between 2004 and 2007. He was accused of pressuring C Sivasankaran, then owner of Aircel Cellular Limited, to sell the company to Malaysia-based Maxis Communications.

Later, a special CBI court acquitted him and his brother, Sun Group MD Kalanithi Maran, of all charges.

Maran, aged 57, is also credited with introducing the ‘One Rupee One India’ plan, allowing calls across the country at a rate of ₹1 per minute. He played a key role in facilitating Nokia’s entry into the Indian market during its peak as a mobile phone giant.

In 2007, Dinakaran, a newspaper owned by Maran’s family, published a survey indicating that MK Stalin was favoured by the public to succeed Karunanidhi over his elder son, MK Alagiri, which triggered violence.

The incident caused a major split in Karunanidhi’s family, sidelining Maran’s family, but they reconciled with the DMK in 2008.

Chennai Central constituency comprises six assembly segments including Villivakkam, Egmore, Harbour, Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, Thousand Lights, and Anna Nagar, and went to polls on April 19 with a voter turnout of 53.91%.

The Lok Sabha polls for 543 seats were held in seven phases starting from April 19, with the last phase on June 1. The Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking a rare third term at the Centre with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.