Chennai

DMK’s citadel, is under siege — by BJP. The Dravidian party still has an edge, but the fortifications are being chipped away. 

Of the three constituencies in Chennai — North, Central, and South — analysts believe that DMK would find the going toughest in Central. Here is where the incumbent MP and former Union telecom minister, Dayanidhi Maran (DMK), faces a challenge from Vinoj Selvam of BJP. 

The constituency has 13.32 lakh registered voters. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Maran won securing 57.36 per cent of the votes cast (7.82 lakh, 58.75 per cent polling). BJP was not in the picture. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was felicitated by Vinoj P Selvam during a public meeting in Chennai. Vinoj P Selvam (left), who has been with the party for 16 years and is a known name

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was felicitated by Vinoj P Selvam during a public meeting in Chennai. Vinoj P Selvam (left), who has been with the party for 16 years and is a known name | Photo Credit: ANI

Five reasons

This time around, Maran is unlikely to have it easy. Analysts adduce five reasons for this. 

First, it is going to be a two-cornered contest in Chennai Central, between DMK and BJP. The AIADMK-led coalition has fielded a candidate (Parthasarathy) from DMDK, the party founded by late actor Vijayakant, which has lost its mojo and is politically insignificant today. Recently, when Maran met journalists of The Hindu group of publications, he wryly observed that there was hardly anyone campaigning for DMDK, leading to the inference that AIADMK was in a tacit “unholy alliance” with BJP. Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) has also fielded a candidate (Dr R Karthikeyan), but few expect him to put up a good show. As such, there is hardly anyone to split anti-DMK votes — a big positive for BJP. 

Secondly, there is resentment against DMK and Maran, not in the least for their perceived apathy during the recent floods. This is borne out by the conversations that businessline has had with many people as well as by the several dipstick polls conducted by private YouTube channels: more respondents in Chennai Central said they would vote for BJP than in any other constituency in Tamil Nadu. 

Third, BJP’s candidate, Vinoj Selvam, 37, who has been with the party for 16 years and is a known name — perhaps not as much as his opponent Maran, who has been MP from the constituency many times, but nevertheless a familiar face. Selvam contested the 2021 assembly elections against DMK’s PK Sekhar Babu, a State minister, (the state’s minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) in the Harbour assembly constituency and gave Babu a tough fight, getting 31.52 per cent votes and was the runner up — Selvam was seen leading at several points in time during the counting. (Incidentally, in the 2021 elections, BJP secured 8.9 per cent votes in the six assembly constituencies that are part of the Chennai-Central LS constituency. DMK holds all six.) 

Fourth, Chennai-Central has a sizeable north Indian and Brahmin population, who would have voted for AIADMK in the previous polls and could be expected to back BJP now. Finally, BJP has the backing of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a large formation of the vanniyar community who live in north Tamil Nadu, including in Chennai-Central. This should also put some wind in Selvam’s sails. 

Both in Chennai-South and Chennai-North, the fight will be three-cornered, with AIADMK pitching in and splitting anti-DMK votes. No such luck for Dayanidhi Maran. 

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