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This is an archive article published on March 18, 2021

Why is Captain Vijayakanth’s wife Premalatha contesting from Virudhachalam constituency?

When Vijayakanth won from Virudhachalam, his party was only six months old. With no poll victories in 2016 and 2019, winning Virudhachalam is crucial for the DMDK's survival.

Captain Vijayakanth and wife Premalatha (Twitter/DMDK)Captain Vijayakanth and wife Premalatha (Twitter/DMDK)

Following Captain Vijayakanth-led DMDK’s exit from the AIADMK alliance, and the party’s decision to join hands with T T V Dhinakaran’s AMMK, Vijayakanth’s wife Premalatha has announced her candidature from the Virudhachalam seat. In 2006, while contesting polls for the first time, Vijayakanth had won the seat.

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With the DMDK chief unable to contest polls or lead campaigns due to poor health, Virudhachalam and Panruti were the two options before Premalatha to contest polls, and she opted for the former. Her decision is said to be based on two factors. First was her familiarity with the constituency which had elected Vijayakanth in the past. In fact, Premalatha had been quite active during Vijayakanth’s campaigns in the region. According to DMDK leaders, she would participate in door-to-door campaigns and was quite familiar with the villages and community heads of the area.

Secondly, although Virudhachalam is a traditional OBC-Vanniyar bastion which largely supports the Vanniyar-based Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party, Premalatha, who belongs to the Telugu Naidu community, is targeting the non-Vanniyar and minority votes in the region. It is also an opportunity for the DMDK to fight its rival, the PMK, a party that was blamed for their exit from the AIADMK alliance.

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While the Vanniyars constitute nearly 50% of Virudhachalam’s population, the constituency has about 30,000 Muslim votes. The AMMK alliance may also help Premalatha get the Thevar community’s support, apart from the minority votes. Vijayakanth’s son, Vijay Prabhakar, who recently declared his entry into politics will also be an important DMDK campaigner in Virudhachalam, and can help the party encash his father’s popularity.

When Vijayakanth won from Virudhachalam, his party was only six months old. With no poll victories in 2016 and 2019, winning Virudhachalam is crucial for the DMDK’s survival.

Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority. Expertise Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews. Key Coverage Areas: State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor. Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties. Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu. Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail. His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism. Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More

 

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