Tamil Nadu - Dindigul

DMK bags five seats in Dindigul

K. Raju

AIADMK that won six seats in 1991 captures Natham and Nilakottai only

A GLORIOUS MOMENT: DMK candidate I. Perisaamy (Athoor) and, on right, AIADMK candidate R. Viswanathan (Natham) receiving their certificates in Dindigul on Thursday — PHOTOS: G.KARTHIKEYAN

DINDIGUL: After gap of a decade, the DMK has proved its supremacy by sweeping five out of seven seats in the district.

The Transport Minister R. Viswanathan had a close shave in his home constituency Natham. But the AIADMK State treasurer C. Sreenivasan bit the dust in Athoor. As in the 1989 polls, DMK district secretary I. Periasamy thrashed him by a whopping margin of 26,561 votes.

After 1987, the DMK had bagged five seats only twice, i.e., in 1996 and 2006. It successfully captured four more seats this year besides retaining Oddanchatram. Sitting MLA R. Sakkarapani, who retained the seat since 1996, made the hat trick in Oddanchatram defeating the AIADMK debutant S. Nallasamy. He was the lone winner in 2001 polls in the district.

The AIADMK that had won six seats in 1991 elections was pushed to a corner in this year. It captured Natham and Nilakottai only. Even as strong Ambalam community voters went all out against him en masse, Mr. Viswanathan could overcome all hurdles put up by the DMK and emerged winner with a massive support of non-Ambalam community and women vote bank. Despite community vote bank and support of DPA partners, the Congress candidate M.A. Andi Ambalam lost the war by a slender margin of 3,760 votes.

After 44 years, the Congress won the seat in Vedasandur in a stiff battle with its friend-turned-foe AIADMK. (Congress had won the seat in 1962 only.) The Congress district president M. Dhandapani defeated his rival S. Palanisamy of the AIADMK by a comfortable margin 14,758 votes. The DMK that thrashed and pushed Dhandapani to third place in 1989 polls helped him to crush the AIADMK in Vedasandur this year.

Grand victory of sitting MLA K. Balabarathi proved that Dindigul was the citadel of the CPI(M). She retained Dindigul by crushing the MDMK debutant N. Selvaragahan by a margin of 18,949 votes. In the 2001 polls, it was a close shave for her but she had garnered 71,000 votes.

It was a glorious debut for S. Thenmozhi (AIADMK) who won the Nilakottai seat by a margin of 6,284 votes defeating the Congress candidate R. Senthilvel in a three-cornered contest. Strong presence of DMDK that gained 16,795 votes, 13.67 per cent of total votes, did not stop her victory.

In Palani, the DMK's first time contestant M. Anbalagan established his foot firmly in the pilgrim centre defeating the AIADMK debutant S. Prema.

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