As the DMK intensifies booth-level mobilisation ahead of the next Assembly elections, the party cadres want the party to contest in the Nagapattinam Assembly constituency rather than ceding it to an alliance partner.
District-level and town-level functionaries say frustration had been steadily building up among cadres over the party not contesting the seat for nearly five decades, despite Nagapattinam’s symbolic importance to the DMK as the birthplace of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. Nagapattinam constituency is represented by the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a DMK ally.
“Despite its historical association with the DMK, Nagapattinam does not have a DMK MLA. Election after election, our cadres work for alliance partners. That fatigue is now visible,” said N. Gowthaman, District secretary of DMK.
New reality
Mr. Gowthaman pointed out that organisational indicators suggested that the DMK was now better placed to contest for the seat. Of the 36 wards in the Nagapattinam municipality, the DMK holds 31, including six coastal fisher wards where the party has, for the first time, secured a majority.
“This marks a clear improvement over the past, several factors on the ground have changed, and allotting the seat to the DMK would help consolidate and expand our support,” said a town-level functionary.
Historically viewed as a Left stronghold, Nagapattinam was won by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) six times since the 1960s — four times in alliance with the DMK — shaping alliance-driven approach of the ruling party.
The DMK contested the seat on its ‘Rising Sun’ symbol only four times, winning in 1971 through A. Rajamanikkam. In 1996, G. Nizamuddin of the Indian National League won while contesting on the DMK symbol as part of the alliance. DMK candidates were defeated in 2001 and 2011.
A district-level functionary recalled that one of the defeats came prior to the constituency reorganisation, when Tirumarugal and Thittachery were part of the Nannilam Assembly constituency. Thittachery, which now falls within the Nagapattinam Assembly constituency, is considered a DMK stronghold. Another defeat, the functionary noted, came during a phase when the Left parties were aligned with the AIADMK.
In most elections, the seat has been allotted to allies — including the CPI(M), the CPI, the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and, most recently, the VCK, which won in 2021.
While State-level leaders have not commented publicly, local leaders stress that the demand reflects organisational concerns rather than a challenge to alliance politics. With the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) making efforts to enter fisher-dominated pockets of the constituency and the AIADMK regrouping with its allies under the NDA banner, a district-level DMK functionary said that fielding a candidate of the party would have a “significant electoral impact” in Nagapattinam.
Published – February 02, 2026 08:26 pm IST
