Tamil Nadu: DMK sweeps Lok Sabha polls, sun sets on AIADMK's golden run

Bucking the national trend that favoured the BJP, the DMK-led alliance dealt a major blow to Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK-led alliance which comprised the BJP, as it captured 37 of the state's 38 Lok Sabha seats. The Election Commission cancelled polling in Vellore.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) cadres celebrate party's performance in Lok Sabha polls in Chennai. PTI Photo

NEW DELHI: Bucking the national trend that favoured the BJP, the DMK-led alliance dealt a major blow to Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK-led alliance which comprised the BJP, as it captured 37 of the state's 38 Lok Sabha seats that went for polls on April 18. The Election Commission cancelled polling in Vellore. The Lok Sabha battle in Tamil Nadu saw a four-cornered contest. The two major fronts were: the AIADMK-led front comprising the PMK, BJP, DMDK, TMC, PT, PNK and others and the DMK-led front consisting of the Congress, MDMK, IUML, CPI, CPI-M, VCK, KMDK and IJK. Both AIADMK and DMK contested on 20 seats each and left the remaining to their alliance partners. Vellore, where election was countermanded following recovery of huge sums of cash, fell in the DMK's quota. AIADMK vote share slumps The AIADMK suffered a drastic slide in vote share this time, which plunged to 18.48 per cent. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, under the leadership of its supremo late Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK contested on its own in 39 seats and won 37 with 44 per cent vote share. The remaining two seats went to the BJP (Kanyakumari) and PMK (Dharmapuri). READ: 'Prashant Kishor' factor in Andhra Pradesh helped Jagan Reddy’s YSR Congress get landslide victory DMK secures 32.76 per cent votes This Lok Sabha polls, the DMK secured 32.76 per cent of votes, its ally Congress 12.76 per cent, AIADMK ally PMK 5.42 per cent and another AIADMK ally BJP 3.66 per cent. The DMDK floated by actor A. Vijayakant (AIADMK ally) got 2.19 per cent votes while the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Communist Party of India (CPI) secured 2.40 per cent and 2.43 per cent votes, respectively, as DMK allies. The BJP lost all the five Lok Sabha seats it contested, including that of Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan (Kanyakumari). 19/19 for DMK The MK Stalin-led DMK on its own won all the 19 seats it contested. However, the total number of Lok Sabha members under its fold will be 23 as MDMK, KMDK, IJK and one candidate of VCK contested under DMK's 'rising sun' symbol. The other parties in the DMK alliance which won were Congress (8), CPI-M and CPI (2 each) and IUML and VCK (1 each). This VCK candidate did not fight under the DMK election symbol. READ: 10 interesting facts about Lok Sabha election results 2019 A.Raja, Dayanidhi Maran, Kanimozhi, TR Balu win Prominent candidates of the DMK like A.Raja, Dayanidhi Maran, Kanimozhi, T.R.Baalu, S.S.Palanimanickam and its allies like the Congress like Su. Thirunavukarasar, Karthi P Chidambaram, H.Vasanthakumar, S.Jothimani and others, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Communist Party of India (CPI) and others won their seats against their rivals belonging to the AIADMK-led alliance across the state. The sole winner for AIADMK was P. Raveendranath Kumar, son of Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, from Theni. Kumar defeated former Tamil Nadu Congress chief E.V.K.S. Elangovan. Parties of Kamal Haasan and Dhinakaran fail to leave mark Another key feature of the outcome is the relegation of Kamal Haasan's fledgeling Makkal Needhi Maiam and AIADMK rival T T V Dhinakaran's Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam to the status of spoilers. The Parliament elections in the state were the first ever after the demise of Dravidian stalwarts J Jayalalithaa of AIADMK and M Karunanidhi of the DMK. Assembly bypolls The DMK also made electoral inroads in the Assembly by-polls, as it added another 13 members to its existing number of 88, even as it has the support of nine of its allies including the eight Congress legislators. The ruling AIADMK has won nine of the 22 segments where elections were held in two phases in April and May. While the DMK enjoyed a 45.1 per cent vote share in the by-polls, that of AIADMK's stood at 38.2. The vacancies to these 22 seats were created by reasons including the disqualification of 18 AIADMK MLAs in 2017 after they revolted against Chief Minister K Palaniswami who had merged the faction led by him with that of then rebel leader and his now deputy, O Panneerselvam. However, it is the AIADMK that could take solace from the performance as the Palaniswami government now has a strength of 123 legislators in the 234-member state Assembly, well past the simple majority mark of 117. The ruling AIADMK had 114 members (including the Speaker), the DMK 88, the Congress 8 while IUML and Independents have one member each. To attain a simple majority, the AIADMK needed to win just 4 seats in the by-elections. In order to be safe against switching of camps by some of the lawmakers, the AIADMK had to win 8-9 seats. The DMK, on the other hand, needed to win all the 22 seats to take its tally along with its allies -- Congress and IUML -- to 119, which is just one over the simple majority mark. However, the DMK could win only 13 seats. (With inputs from agencies)