The Vanniyar vote can tip the balance in 70 to 75 assembly constituencies of the 234 in the state, mainly in the Ranipet, Vellore, Thiruppathur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Arani, Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts.
Key Points
- PMK faces internal split between S Ramadoss and Anbumani Ramadoss ahead of Tamil Nadu elections, creating voter uncertainty.
- Vanniyar community, influential in 70-75 constituencies, may see divided voting due to leadership conflict and factional alignments.
- Anbumani-led faction controls party symbol and aligns with AIADMK-BJP alliance, actively campaigning across north Tamil Nadu.
- S Ramadoss faction joins Sasikala-led alliance, fielding candidates that could split votes and weaken PMK's electoral impact.
- Political observers say PMK's division could reshape alliances, potentially benefiting BJP while complicating DMK-led coalition prospects.
It was the hottest political story in the 1980s and 1990s.
Vanniyar consolidation in Tamil Nadu, the electoral success of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), and the emergence of a father-and-son team -- Dr S Ramadoss and Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, both in the medical profession -- as leaders of a community that is 12 to 15 per cent of the population, told the tale of how a small community managed to use political arbitrage to prise gains from the system.
However, ahead of the assembly elections, a bitter split in the father-and-son team and a horizontal division in the PMK cadre have injected uncertainty into the community and could cause an unpredictable electoral outcome.
The Vanniyars are a 'backward class' community largely in north Tamil Nadu, engaged mostly in agriculture.
A large section comprises landless labourers.
S Ramadoss founded the Vanniyar Sangam in 1980.
In 1987, the organisation led an agitation demanding 'Most Backward Class' (MBC) status for the Vanniyars.
In 1989, the state government, run by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), accepted the demand, granting reservation in education and employment.
S Ramadoss subsequently founded the PMK in July that year.
Since then, the PMK has been on a steady course: Using the benefits of reservation to secure government jobs and education.
D Ravikumar, the Lok Sabha member from Villupuram and representing the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) party, has a large number of Vanniyars in his constituency.
He told Business Standard on the phone while campaigning: "The Vanniyars are definitely in a better economic position and the credit for this goes largely to S Ramadoss."
S Ramadoss steered the PMK over the years, securing 3 to 4 per cent of the vote, though the seats it managed to win were a function of the strength of the alliance it joined.
It has managed to switch alliances led by the two main political parties in Tamil Nadu -- the DMK and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) -- with aplomb (see chart).
Father-Son Rift Deepens Crisis
On the strength of its arbitrage, the PMK managed to secure positions in the Union Cabinet several times. Currently Anbumani is a Rajya Sabha member.
But the crisis in the party, starting in 2022, when Anbumani (57) became its president, and curtailing the role of the father (86), culminated in an organisational split.
"The party is with Anbumani. Dr Ramadoss has been left with nothing," said a Congress MP.
The Election Commission awarded the symbol and the name to Anbumani, who decided the PMK would join the AIADMK-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance.
Anbumani campaigned all over North Tamil Nadu with the BJP and AIADMK flags fluttering alongside that of the PMK.
At a meeting in Chennai, when he launched his campaign, he said Chief Minister M K Stalin was focusing only on 'advertisements' without being aware of what was happening in the state.
'With the passing of M Karunanidhi, social justice has ended in the DMK.'
The smaller faction, led by S Ramadoss, has joined the alliance led by Sasikala's All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AIPTMMK), largely considered a non-starter.
The party was launched only on March 13 this year. Sasikala was an associate of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa and was forced to leave the AIADMK after Jayalalithaa's death.
The split has confused the PMK's voters.
Narasimhana has been a PMK supporter for many years. He told Business Standard on the phone from Chennai: "Even today, the son lacks the political clarity the father has."
But another supporter, Manokaran, said: "In the Vanniyar community, respect for the senior Ramadoss is decreasing. He should let Anbumani Sir lead."
On the other hand, Ravikumar had this to say: "The split may prove damaging (to the PMK vote) in certain constituencies."
However, he added: "Anbumani is aligned with the BJP and this division could jeopardise the (DMK-led) alliance."
The PMK-AIADMK alliance will add value to the BJP in 30-odd constituencies, according to the Congress MP.
This much is true: While it is hard to verify the data, the Vanniyar vote can tip the balance in 70 to 75 assembly constituencies of the 234 in the state, mainly in the Ranipet, Vellore, Thiruppathur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Arani, Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts.
The Anbumani-led PMK is contesting 18 seats.
However, the younger Ramadoss's furious campaigning all over north Tamil Nadu, mainly deriding the DMK, could end up being hugely beneficial to the BJP, which is seeking a toehold in the assembly.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
