Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a roadshow in T Nagar, Chennai on 9 April, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to canvass for the saffron party’s candidates. This time around the Chennai Central constituency—comprising Villivakkam, Egmore, Harbour, Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, Thousand Lights and Anna Nagar Assembly segments—is seen to be a battle between the Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the national Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Considered a DMK bastion, Chennai Central is one of the smallest Lok Sabha constituencies in India with around 13.5 lakh voters. From 1977 to 2014, there were 11 Lok Sabha elections and the DMK won seven times and the Congress three times. But in 2014, S.R. Vijayakumar of AIADMK defeated DMK senior leader Dayanidhi Maran by 45,841 votes, capturing the seat for the first time. However, in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, Maran came back strongly and won by nearly 4.5 lakh votes, beating PMK candidate S.R. Sam Paul.
In 2024, an interesting battle is unfolding here, as the BJP has fielded Vinoj P. Selvam, who seems to be a formidable opponent to Maran. The other candidates here—Parthasarathy from Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and Karthikeyan from Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK)—are not seen as major rivals at this point.
DAYANIDHI HAS THE EDGE
Being the grandnephew of the legendary DMK leader and ex-Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, parliamentarian Dayanidhi Maran (57) has strong party support.
Ask political journalist Bharath as to why Dayanidhi Maran was likely to be re-elected as MP for the fourth time in 2024 and he says, “One of Maran’s notable achievements as an MP has been his focus on developmental projects and infrastructure improvements in his constituency. He has been proactive in addressing the needs of his constituents, including access to basic amenities, healthcare facilities, and education resources. Maran has also been instrumental in initiating various welfare schemes aimed at uplifting marginalized communities and promoting socio-economic development.”
In the realm of national politics too, Maran has been an active participant, voicing his opinions on crucial issues and contributing to legislative debates. His experience as a Union Minister, particularly in the telecommunications sector, has provided him with valuable insights into policymaking and governance, which he has leveraged effectively as an MP.
However, Maran’s tenure has not been without controversies. He has faced allegations of corruption and nepotism, particularly during his stint as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Accusations regarding irregularities in spectrum allocation and misuse of power have tarnished his reputation and subjected him to legal scrutiny.
Despite these challenges, Maran remains a prominent figure in Tamil Nadu politics, commanding a significant influence within the DMK and among his constituents. His efforts towards constituency development and advocacy for Tamil Nadu’s interests on the national stage have earned him both supporters and critics.
While Maran’s opponents may state that the constituents are not happy with his leadership, he is the only one who has a strong foothold in Central Chennai. For instance, there is simmering resentment towards the senior DMK leader as he reportedly didn’t do much during the Chennai floods in December 2023 to help his constituents. The corruption allegations and arrests of ministers have also dented the ruling party’s image in recent times.
However, as political commentator Sumanth Raman explains, “Though there is anti-incumbency against Dayanidhi Maran, he is likely to win easily as both his opponents (from BJP and DMDK) are political lightweights and neither the DMDK nor the BJP has much of a presence in Central Chennai.”
VINOJ P. SELVAM’S CHANCES
With 16 years under his belt in the BJP, Vinoj P. Selvam (37) is not a new face on the Chennai political scene. But this is the first time he is standing up against Maran and it is likely to be a tough fight. In 2021, he was a candidate in the Assembly elections and stood against DMK’s P.K. Sekhar Babu (TN minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) in the Harbour Assembly constituency. He placed second with 31.52% votes.
Another important factor that favours Selvam is that Chennai Central has a large Brahmin and North Indian population and they could vote for the BJP this time around rather than the AIADMK alliance partner, DMDK. Also, the BJP alliance partner, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), has the support of the large Vanniyar community that lives in this constituency and they could vote for the saffron party too. The anti-incumbency votes could also give impetus to Selvam’s vote share and spur him to success.
Ramu Manivannan, a political analyst, stated that since the BJP and the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) have parted ways, the vote split will help the DMK, rather than the BJP in Chennai. He added that even if the Brahmins voted for the BJP in Chennai Central, it’ll not have much impact on the state’s ruling party.