Kovilpatti: Eyes on Dhinakaran, Why This Tamil Nadu Constituency is Crucial For Election 2021

Kovilpatti, AIADMK stronghold for over two decades, will see a tough battle against AMMK supremo TTV Dhinakaran and AIADMK's C Raju, who won the Kovilpatti constituency in 2011 and 2016 elections.

Chennai: Kovilpatti assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu has recently become the centre of high-voltage political drama after TTV Dhinakaran, founder of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) announced nomination from the seat. Snubbed by his aunt Sasikala who announced an abrupt exit from politics after being released from jail in the corruption case, Dhinakaran decided to drop his incumbent RK Nagar seat and fight from Kovilpatti against AIADMK’s Minister for Information and Publicity Kadambur C Kadambur Raju.

Kovilpatti is among the six assembly constituencies of Tamil Nadu under the Thoothukudi district. It is one of the oldest assembly segments in Tamil Nadu since Independence.

Kovilpatti Legislative Assembly Constituency: What Happened in 2011, 2016?

It is expected to be a tough battle for Dhinakaran who is contesting against the two-term winner. C Raju won the Kovilpatti constituency in 2011 and 2016 elections which is known to be an AIADMK stronghold for over two decades. Meanwhile, Dhinakaran’s front is even smaller than Kamal Hassan’s grouping MNM, but he is trying to get alliances with smaller opposition parties to go against the AIADMK-BJP union.

Dhinakaran was elected as an MLA from the RK Nagar constituency in 2017, when the seat fell vacant on demise of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha in December 2016. His victory had pushed bitter rival AIADMK to the second spot, and DMK out of the picture. He had also garnered a decent vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	AIADMK	C. Kadambur Raju	64,514	38.96	-16.89
	DMK	A. Subramanian	64,086	38.20	New
	MDMK	Vinayaka Ramesh	28,512	17.22	New
	NOTA	None of the Above	2,350	1.42	New
	NTK	T. Muthumari	2,070	1.25	New
	PMK	G. Ramachandran	1,075	0.65	-34.94
	BSP	T. S. K. Muthuraj	709	0.43	-0.42
	AIFB	R. Murugesan	255	2.15	New
	ABHM	V. G. Radhakrishnan	211	0.13	New

2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	AIADMK	C. Kadambur Raju	73,007	55.85	+9.23
	PMK	G. Ramachandran	46,527	35.59	New
	BJP	V. Renugarajan	2,186	1.67	+1.06
	BSP	S. Arumairaj	1,107	0.85	-1.50

TTV Dhinakaran’s Promise For Tamil Nadu

When Dhinakaran announced his constituency as part of the 50-member candidate list for Tamil Nadu polls, he had done his homework. According to reports, he settled for the Kovilpatti seat in south Tamil Nadu based on its sizeable population of mukkulathors, the community he belongs to.

Dhinakaran’s AMMK recently announced alliance with Assaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM for the April 6 Tamil Nadu polls, to emerge as a viable political alternative in the state. The present AIADMK was not the party that it was when late chief minister J Jayalalithaa was at the helm, Owaisi said last week, sharing the dias with Dhinakaran.

“Amma’s true followers will join us and Amma’s party (AIADMK) will be retrieved,” Dhinakaran had asserted.