Caste is still important in Tamil Nadu, known as a ‘land of social justice’

Tamil Nadu has generally been showcased as an egalitarian State that has been able to transcend the barrier of caste, thanks to the Dravidian movement. But, when it comes to elections, the factor of caste is extremely important, which the two Dravidian forces can ill afford to ignore. 

According to the findings of a couple of studies on the caste profiles of candidates put up by the formations led by the DMK and the AIADMK, three communities  — Vanniyakula Kshatriya (Vanniyar), Mukkulathor (Thevars) and Kongu Vellalar (Gounders) —  take the lion’s share. Of the 188 general constituencies, about 45% of the DMK-led coalition’s candidates and around 55% of the AIADMK-led front’s candidates belong to these groups, up from 38% and 47% respectively five years ago.