Lok Sabha elections 2024: From Annamalai to Kanimozhi to Veerappan's daughter, top contests in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha polls: The southern state of Tamil Nadu will go to polls in a single phase on April 19. Tamil Nadu, which has witnessed a two-way contest so far between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), is now expected to witness a three-way fight.

In the 2019 general elections, the DMK bagged 38 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu. The battle time around could be slightly less one sided because the BJP under Annamalai is going full throttle to increase its presence in the Gateway of South India, especially given the popularity of his En Mann En Makkal padyatra through the state. 

The saffron party, for the first time ever, is hoping to record double-digit vote share in the Dravidian pocket borough. The DMK, AIADMK and the BJP have gone for an interesting mix of candidates across all the 39 constituencies in the state. 

Key contests to watch for

Coimbatore: K Annamalai (BJP) vs Ganapathy P Rajkumar (DMK) vs Singai Ramachandran (AIADMK)

The saffron party has fielded its Tamil Nadu president and former IPS officer K Annamalai from the constituency in the hopes of a victory after two defeats. Annamalai has promised the establishment of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), the offices of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Coimbatore.

Besides this, the BJP has also promised the introduction of 24x7 mobile food vans named after the former Tamil Nadu CM K Kamaraj. The BJP's decision to field Annamalai from the seat prompted the ruling DMK to field its own candidate after 10 years in the constituency known for textile industries and proximity to Kerala.

DMK candidate Ganapathy P Rajkumar, on the other hand, said that BJP has done nothing for Coimbatore. In the 2019 general elections, CPI(M)'s PR Natarajan won the seat by a margin of over 5.71 lakh votes and secured a vote share of 45.7 per cent. In 2014, ADMK's P Nagarajan won the seat by more than 4.37 lakh votes and garnered a vote share of 36.7 per cent. 

Thoothukudi: Kanimozhi (DMK) vs SDR Vijayaseelan (TMC-M) vs R Sivasami Velumani (AIADMK)

This constituency is headed for a triangular contest as the DMK has fielded sitting MP Kanimozhi again whereas NDA ally Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) has fielded SDR Vijayaseelan and AIADMK has fielded R Sivasami Velumani from the constituency. 

Known for her intellectual prowess, poetry and journalism, Kanimozhi won the seat in the 2109 Lok Sabha polls with a massive margin of 3.47 lakh votes. R Sivasami Velumani of the AIADMK is a Class 8 dropout and practitioner of natural medicine. Velumani is the Managing Director of Puttur Bone and Joint Centre Private Limited in Chennai.

As per his affidavit, he has movable and immovable properties worth Rs 23 crore and two criminal cases pending against him. Vijayaseelan, on the other hand, has focused his campaign on local issues and forging a connect with the voters. Historically, Thoothukudi has swung between the DMK and the AIADMK. 

Chennai South: Tamilisai Soundararajan (BJP) vs Thamizhachi Thangapandian (DMK) vs Jayavardhan (AIADMK)

The seat, which is home to the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) IT zone, will see a nail-biting contest between former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Thamizhachi Thangapandian and Jayavardhan. BJP's Soundararajan is popular in the constituency for her down-to-earth personality.

She is also a great pick for the BJP due to the significant presence of Brahmins in the state. Soundararajan is the daughter of Congress veteran Kumari Ananthan. The DMK will utilise its organisational strength to garner votes for Thamizhachi Thangapandian. Thamizhachi is the daughter of former minister V Thangapandian and AIADMK candidate Jayavardhan is former minister D Jayakumar's son.  

In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, DMK's Thamizhachi Thangapandian won with over 5.64 lakh votes whereas AIADMK candidate Jayavardhan was a distant second with more than 3.02 lakh votes. In 2014, the seat was won by AIADMK's Jayavardhan with more than 4.38 lakh votes while his opponent DMK's TKS Elangovan got around 3.01 lakh votes. 

Krishnagiri: Vidya Veerappan NTK) vs C Narasimhan (BJP) vs K Gopinath (Congress)

Sandalwood smuggler Veerappan's daughter Vidya Veerappan will contest from this constituency from the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) ticket in the upcoming general elections. Before this, she joined the BJP in 2020 and became the Vice President of Tamil Nadu BJP's youth wing before leaving the party. Vidya is a lawyer by profession. 

Krishnagiri faces issues such as lack of railway station, lack of direct rail connectivity, demands for better industrial infrastructure, lack of storage and processing facilities for mangoes and roses, and workforce exodus to Bengaluru. The BJP and the Congress, on the other hand, have fielded C Narasimhan and K Gopinath from the seat respectively. Congress' Dr A Chellakumar has been serving as the MP from this constituency since the 2014 elections. 

Nilgiris: A Raja (DMK) vs Dr L Murugan (BJP) vs Lokesh Tamilselvan (AIADMK)

The constituency, which comprises six assembly segments, is slated to witness a tripartite contest between DMK MP A Raja, BJP's L Murugan and AIADMK's Lokesh Tamilselvan. The Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency has six assembly constituencies-- Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Coonoor, Gudalur, Avinashi, Bhavanisagar and Mettupalayam.

This is the first time a BJP candidate is contesting from NIlgiris in the past decade. This time around, the saffron party has fielded Union fisheries minister L Murugan is contesting the seat. The constituency is facing issues like lack of proper planning on ways to boost tourism, infrastructure challenges related to buildings and roads, lack of adequate jobs other than those in the hospitality industry, water scarcity and polluted water bodies due to improper waste and sewage treatment. 

In the 2019 elections, A Raja won the seat by more than 5.47 lakh votes and commanded a vote share of 54.20 per cent.  He, however, lost in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls due to the 2G spectrum accusations against him.

This year, it seems to be a tough fight for A Raja due to his anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks, which have angered the Badagas. Badagas are the single-largest ethno-linguistic group in the constituency.