Minister and former AIADMK MP tied horns in Villupuram

Villupuram Law Minister c. V. Will witness a high-decisive contest between Shanmugam and former AIADMK Rajya Sabha member R. Lakshmanan.

Mr. Laxmanan, who recently joined the DMK, hopes that the minister’s plan to win his third consecutive term from the constituency will be thwarted.

For AIADMK, it is a challenge to keep pace with their impressive win in Vikravandi by-election in 2019.

The Villupuram assembly constituency, formed in 1952, has held 15 assembly elections so far. DMK candidates have won eight seats and AIADMK five seats.

Sri Shanmugam won from Tindivanam in 2001 and 2006. After the constituency was reserved for the Scheduled Castes in 2011, he shifted to Villupuram, where he held the DMK’s K.K. Defeated Ponmudi by 129797 votes. Mr. Ponmudi then shifted to Thirukovilur from where he was elected in 2016.

The AIADMK polled over 69,000 votes in the 2016 election. The Indian Union Muslim League, an affiliate of DMK, polled 24.94%, while PMK and DMDK polled 19.29% and 13.18% respectively.

This may not be easy this time for the AIADMK, which is expected to benefit from an alliance with the PMK and the BJP. However, the other side is that the political equations have changed in the last one month, in which the DMDK has pulled out of the coalition. Analysts believe that the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP could affect its share of the minority vote.

However, Mr. Shanmugam of Jayalalithaa and Edappadi. Served in Palaniswami’s cabinets, but the constituency is one of the most backward areas. It is surrounded by socio-economic problems. Lack of industries has forced the youth to migrate to other cities. Once the restoration of the Nandan Canal, the lifeline of 120 villages in Villupuram and neighboring Thiruvannamalai districts, has been a long-pending demand of farmers.

Vanniyars and Dalits have a majority population. Caste equations play an important role, as in other constituencies of the district.

Both candidates are from Vanniyar community. The DMK has hired Mr. Lakshmanan to split the Vanniyar vote, sources say.