Theni Lok Sabha Elections 2024: AMMK Chief Dhinakaran & Turncoat Look To Wrest AIADMK Stronghold

Till now, three former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu have been voted to power from the assembly seats under Theni: M.G. Ramachandran, J. Jayalalithaa, and O. Panneerselvam.

The forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Theni are poised to be primarily contested between the DMK and AMMK. 

The Theni Lok Sabha constituency is gearing up for a three-way showdown in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Those in the fray from this seat in the Western Ghats foothills are former MLA Thanga Tamil Selvan representing the DMK, AMMK founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran in NDA, and AIADMK candidate V.T. Narayanasamy.

Thanga Tamil Selvan contested the 2019 elections as an AMMK candidate but later switched sides. T.T.V. Dhinakaran has represented the seat earlier, in 1999, before delimitation. 

Based on early trends, analysts predict that the election in Theni will primarily be a contest between the DMK and the AMMK.

Theni Lok Sabha Constituency 

The Theni Lok Sabha constituency encompasses six assembly seats: Bodinayakanur, Cumbum, Periyakulam, Andipatti, Usilampatti, and Sholavandan, comprising a total of 14,41,302 voters.

Three former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu have been voted to power from the assembly seats under Theni: M.G. Ramachandran, J. Jayalalithaa, and O. Panneerselvam.

Lok Sabha Election Rewind

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, P. Ravindhranath, contesting on an AIADMK ticket, won Theni, garnering 5,04,813 votes. Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan came second with 4,28,120 votes, while Thanga Tamil Selvan secured 1,44,050 votes and was placed third.

During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK's R. Parthipan clinched victory with 53.06% of the votes, relegating the DMK's Pon Muthuramalingam and the MDMK's Alagusundaram to second and third place, respectively.

In 2009, Congress candidate J.M. Aaroon Rashid won the seat by defeating Thanga Tamil Selvan, who at that point represented the AIADMK. Aaroon Rashid garnered 3,40,575 votes. His victory margin was just over 5,000 votes.

Contest Between AMMK Leader & Party Turncoat 

Historically known as a stronghold of the AIADMK, Theni was the lone seat won by the party in 2019. MP Ravindhranath is the son of O. Panneerselvam.

This election will mark Thanga Tamil Selvan's maiden bid for Theni as a DMK candidate. Rival TTV Dhinakaran, who is also from the Mukkulathor community, commands substantial support in the region as well. TTV Dhinakaran has aligned with the BJP, and has been backed by Panneerselvam.

The third candidae, AIADMK's V. T. Narayanasamy, is a prominent local businessman.