HT Explains | 3 reasons why Jayalalithaa won

Jayalalithaa's victory may lie in three factors: inspired populism to woo the young, plans to court farmers and an overall positive agenda that countered DMK's substantially negative rants against her.She replaced food “mixies” that wooed housewives earlier with subsidies for mopeds and scooties for young women, promised reimbursement of education loans for students and offered free electricity of 100 units every two months.She also announced a waiver of farm loans estimated at Rs 40,000 crore over five years.In doing this, she rose above the traditional caste equations, but we can also say that she kept some key caste equations in mind especially in the southern districts.However, her biggest chess move was her own plan to phase out liquor sales in the state.