Lok Sabha Election 2024: Dhinakaran banks on ground support in Theni to outwit DMK

Theni: Candidates of all three major parties contesting the April 19 Lok Sabha elections from this picturesque constituency nestled in the Western Ghats have something in common. They have been associated with the AIADMK, either in the past or at present.

T T V Dhinakaran, whose AMMK is part of the BJP alliance, is fighting his third Lok Sabha battle from Theni, after an upsetting loss in 2004, against DMK’s Thanga Tamilselvan, who was his long-time aide before they fell out in 2019, and Dr V T Narayanasamy of the AIADMK. Madhan Jayabalan, a physician by profession, is the candidate of Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK), a Tamil nationalist outfit.

Interestingly, it was Dhinakaran, nephew of V K Sasikala, who introduced Tamilselvan and O Panneerselvam -- both helped the former win the 1999 elections -- to late J Jayalalithaa. Tamilselvan won from Andipatti Assembly seat in 2001, which he later vacated for Jayalalithaa, while Panneerselvam won from Periyakulam and served as Chief Minister for five months.

Prestigious battle for all three major parties

The electoral battle is prestigious for all three candidates. Dhinakaran is desperate for an electoral victory to prove his political mettle following the rout his party, AMMK, faced in 2019 and 2021 elections, while the DMK is leaving no stone unturned to win Theni, the only Lok Sabha seat the party-led alliance lost in 2019.

For the AIADMK, the election is crucial to prove that in Theni, its traditional stronghold from where it had kept the DMK at bay for a long time, it is the election symbol, Two Leaves, and the party that still sways over the people and not individuals, who were expelled from it.

The intense contest has pushed other issues like shortage of water in many areas, lack of development and factories, unemployment among youth, and “non-fulfillment” of poll promises by the ruling DMK to the backseat with the rivalry between Dhinakaran and Tamilselvan taking the front seat.

People are happy with rail connectivity being restored from Bodinayakanur to Madurai but want more trains on the route besides pushing for early completion of flyover and road projects in the constituency, which is dominated by Mukulathors, an umbrella term used to refer to three castes Kallars, Agamudaiyars, and Maravars, Naickers, and Muslims.

Dhinakaran and the Mukulathor factor

Dhinakaran and Tamilselvan are Mukulathors, while the AIADMK nominee is a Naicker. Besides the votes of his community, Dhinakaran is banking on the support of Panneerselvam, whose son O P Ravindranath is the MP, while Tamilselvan, who faces an uphill task, is solely dependent on his familiarity with the electorate and the organisational strength of the DMK and alliance partners.

Having represented the Periyakulam Lok Sabha constituency from 1999 to 2004, which was rechristened as Theni in 2009, Dhinakaran hopes the popularity he earned during his tenure as MP and another six years as Rajya Sabha MP will convert into votes, while Tamilselvan depends on his work as MLA in the past, and traditional votes of the DMK and its allies.

His popularity in the constituency busts the ‘outsider’ tag that the DMK and AIADMK attempt to attach to Dhinakaran for he hails from the far-away Cauvery Delta region.

Dhinakaran is also seeking to cash in on the palpable anger among traditional supporters of AIADMK over the party being split into many factions and the “systemic sidelining” of Mukulathor leaders like him, Panneerselvam, and Sasikala. By winning over the community votes, TTV wants to convey the message to the AIADMK leadership that the Mukulathors stand behind him.

“It (AIADMK) has now turned into a Gounder party,” Maheswaran, a daily labourer in Usilampatti, said, taking a dig at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, who belongs to Gounder caste. The opinion that an “unsplit” AIADMK would have romped home from Theni without many problems could be heard in many villages and towns.

‘Dhinakaran versus Tamilselvan’

Locals say the fight will “boil down” to Dhinakaran and Tamilselvan as both are popular and known to the electorate unlike the AIADMK nominee, who is not very familiar among the people. However, the AIADMK’s core votes which had always stood by Two Leaves, a symbol still synonymous with the legendary M G Ramachandran, seems to be firmly behind Narayanasamy.

“I have always voted for the AIADMK, and I will do the same this time too. I get Rs 1,000 monthly assistance from the government. Still, my voting preference won’t change,” Muthulakshmi, a coconut seller, said.

People whom DH caught up with in Usilampatti, Theni, Bodinayakanur, Andipatti, and Periyakulam, spoke highly of Dhinakaran, fondly remembering his “generous donations” to temple events, for desilting lakes, and for other causes.

However, the biggest challenge for Dhinakaran and AMMK will be to take the ‘pressure cooker’ symbol to the masses and ensure last-mile connectivity by bringing their supporters to the polling booths.

“You go to any village in Usilampatti, you will find at least one board that makes a mention of his donation to a temple. He spent his MPLAD funds in constructing additional buildings for schools and pooled in his own money whenever people asked for donations. We believe he should get a chance,” Manavalan, who works in an eye clinic in Theni, told DH.

People’s opinion split in AIADMK

An auto driver, Mahendran, said he had always voted for the AIADMK, but he would shift allegiance to Dhinakaran this election.

“It was the late Amma (Jayalalithaa) who introduced TTV to the people of Theni. The AIADMK might have expelled him, but we see the party as one unit. TTV is our own. And yes, him belonging to my caste is also another reason for me to vote for him,” the auto driver added.

He also blamed Panneerselvam for the “current confusion” in the AIADMK by deriding his famous meditation on the sands of Marina Beach in Chennai after which he rebelled against Sasikala on February 7, 2017.

Raja, his colleague, joined in to say, “if all were together, the AIADMK would have romped home without much difficulty from Theni."

“We are at a loss to understand what Panneerselvam achieved from the rebellion? The party is split, and he has to go to far-away Ramanathapuram to contest the elections, that too as an independent candidate,” Raja added.

A major challenge for Tamilselvan is to convince women voters on why they haven’t benefited from schemes of the DMK government, which seems to have earned some anger among the people of Theni in three years over a host of issues, including converting the ‘gold for marriage’ scheme into an educational assistance for girl students. But the anger is unlikely to amplify this election due to a perceived vertical split in the Opposition camp.

Dhinakaran surprised many by winning the R K Nagar by-election as an independent candidate in 2017 solely depending on his charisma. But his charm failed to win votes in Kovilpatti in 2021.

Will his charisma and popularity work in 2024 in Theni, a terrain that he is familiar with? The answer will be out on June 4.