In the Madurantakam and Dharapuram by-elections, the DMK not only secured second place but also won a large number of votes without an alliance, in a way that inspires confidence. We looked into the new formula the party used in the by-election arena.
In the two by-elections that have already been held, with T.V.K. winning, the DMK candidate Parandhaman in Madurantakam has received 53,463 votes, and the DMK candidate Suganya in Dharapuram has received 57,370 votes. Since both constituencies are strongholds of the AIADMK, it was predicted that the DMK would be pushed to third place; however, the T.V.K. and AIADMK sides have caused a shock and secured noteworthy votes.
We spoke to some DMK functionaries: "Since Tamil Nadu’s political arena has turned into 'Vijay vs Udhay,' Udhayanidhi’s hand has gained the upper hand in the DMK. Once the election was announced, the seniors argued, 'TVK still hasn’t lost its mass appeal among the people. Since Madurantakam and Dharapuram are two constituencies won by the AIADMK, we should boycott the election. Even if TVK loses in one constituency, that will be enough.' Rejecting the seniors’ decision, Udhayanidhi Stalin completely dismissed the boycott plan, saying, 'Boycotting the election will have severe consequences... They will criticize us for having run away out of fear.'"
Moreover, Udhayanidhi did not stop there. Saying, “Winning both constituencies is my responsibility,” he exercised full authority even in the selection of candidates. Uday was very determined that Chief Minister Vijay should be taught a fitting lesson. That ego clash was reflected on the ground,” they said.
Those who continued speaking said, "Since Paranthaman was not someone connected to the constituency, the city, union, and branch office-bearers, as well as party functionaries, had little enthusiasm for fieldwork. With a preconceived notion, they acted casually, saying that TVK would win in Madurantakam and DMK would win in Dharapuram. In Madurantakam, former ministers E.V. Velu and Tha. Mo. Anbarasan, and in Dharapuram, Sakkarapani and Senthil Balaji, along with you and others, toured the constituency only as part of their duty. Calculating that relying on seniors would not work, he fielded a youth wing team."
9 youth wing state deputy secretaries, youth wing district organizers, and district deputy secretaries — a total of 750 youth wing functionaries worked in both constituencies. We worked by dividing the areas on the basis of “10 youth per booth” for door-to-door campaigning, with the aim of “breaking the fake image that Vijay has created.”
"On one side was the team of former ministers, and on the other the youth wing team; the DMK showed intensity. That is why, even amid the crisis, it has received a significant number of votes," they said.
Some senior journalists said, "The special thing about this by-election is that all parties have come to the conclusion that it is enough to do field work, regardless of whether they follow the formula of giving money, setting up booths, or distributing tokens. On behalf of TVK, young MLAs and ministers worked. On behalf of the DMK, Udhayanidhi’s youth wing and the former ministers in the DMK leadership’s camp worked. Tamil Nadu’s political arena may well move toward Vijay vs Udhay."