Tamil Nadu election: Stung by erosion in vote share, AIADMK fighting battle of perception

The AIADMK, which ruled Tamil Nadu for the highest number of years since 1977, is battling an adverse perception – amid its phase of frequent electoral setbacks – that it is fast becoming a sub-regional party. 

A look at the party’s strength, as measured in the 2021 Assembly election, reveals that the Dravidian major has become very weak in the districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Chennai (KTCC), where it could win only one – Madurantakam – out of 37 Assembly seats. The 2024 Lok Sabha election did not provide any relief to the leadership. If the votes polled by the coalitions headed by the AIADMK and its present ally, the BJP, is added in the KTCC belt, they would have done well only in two Assembly segments: T. Nagar and Madurantakam.