Virudhunagar Lok Sabha Election 2024: Vijayakanth’s Son & Co-Star Up Against Congress Incumbent

The Virudhunagar Lok Sahba constituency encompasses six assembly segments: Thiruparankundram, Thirumangalam, Sattur, Sivakasi, Virudhunagar, and Aruppukkottai.

The two debutants Radikaa and Vijaya Prabakaran are fighting against a two-time MP who won from Virudhunagar constituency.

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The electoral battleground of Virudhunagar is gearing up for a fierce contest as three major contenders brace for a showdown in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

The three candidates are incumbent MP B. Manickam Tagore of the Congress, V. Vijaya Prabhakaran, the son of late former TN Opposition leader Vijayakanth, representing the DMDK, and Vijayakanth’s former colleague R. Radikaa Sarathkumar of the BJP.

Virudhunagar Lok Sabha Constituency
 
The Virudhunagar constituency encompasses six assembly segments: Thiruparankundram, Thirumangalam, Sattur, Sivakasi, Virudhunagar, and Aruppukkottai. It is classified as a general seat.

According to 2019 data, the seat has 14,84,258 voters. The voter turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha election stood at 72.49%.
Currently, the constituency faces a significant challenge due to the livelihood impact on account of the ban on firecrackers. 

Numerous fireworks factories have closed down, resulting in job losses for the local population. Whoever emerges victorious here faces the daunting task of creating employment opportunities in the region.

The Last Three Elections

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Manickam Tagore garnered 4,70,883 votes, which constituted a vote share of 44%. He won with a substantial margin of 1,54,554 votes over his closest rival, Alagarsamy of the DMDK, who received 3,16,329 votes.

In 2014, the late T. Radhakrishnan of the AIADMK emerged victorious, securing 4,06,694 votes and a vote share of 40.20%. His closest competitor, the MDMK’s Vaiko, received 2,61,143 votes, accounting for 25.81% of the votes. 

The seat went to B. Manickam Tagore in 2009, as he secured 3,07,187 votes. His closest rival was Vaiko, who got 2,91,43 votes in the election.

Starry Contest

Virudhunagar faces a starry contest as actor-turned-politician Radikaa goes up against actor-politician Vijaya Prabhakaran. 
There are two dominant communities in Virudhunagar, the Nadars and the Naidus.

Vijaya Prabhakaran, a Telugu-speaking Naidu, is entering the electoral arena for the first time, just four months after the passing of his father. Two of the assembly constituencies within Virudhunagar, Thiruparankundram and Thirumangalam are situated in the Madurai district, the hometown of ‘Karuppu MGR’ Vijayakanth. 

Radikaa Sarathkumar is also a Naidu. Her husband, actor R. Sarathkumar, merged his party, the All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK), with the BJP last month.

She is a former co-star of Vijayakanth. 

Manickam Tagore, meanwhile, is a Congress heavyweight who is in-charge of the party for Andaman & Nicobar and Andhra Pradesh.