In Vikravandi bypoll, NDA pitches itself as ‘real’ Oppn against DMK as AIADMK shies away from uphill battle

Top AIADMK leaders claim the decision to stay out of the bypoll race was taken to prevent further demoralisation of the cadre, which have already been reeling from a series of electoral setbacks since 2019 with the latest being the recent Lok Sabha polls, where the party failed to win even a single seat. However, officially the party has sought to link its decision to its concerns regarding the “transparency and fairness” in the electoral process under the ruling DMK.

Once a formidable force, the AIADMK was relegated in the Lok Sabha polls to the third place in 12 constituencies, where the BJP-led NDA finished at the second place behind the victor DMK. The BJP finished runner-up in nine of these seats. These constituencies are Chennai Central, Chennai South, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Nilgiris, Tirunelveli, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram, and Theni, which was the sole seat the AIADMK won in 2019.

Since the demise of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa in 2016, the party has been struggling to retain its voter base, even as it has been gripped by factionalism and infighting. Party workers have been left disenchanted after successive electoral losses.

With the bypolls historically stacked in favour of the ruling party – in this case, the DMK – the AIADMK, by staying out of the July 10 bypoll, hopes to regroup and rebuild itself instead of risking another defeat.

Ousted AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, the AMMK general secretary who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls from Theni as an NDA candidate, has slammed his former party’s move, accusing it of “covertly” supporting the DMK. “The NDA in Tamil Nadu will fight rigorously to ensure our candidate’s success in Vikravandi,” he said, dismissing the AIADMK’s allegations about an “unfair” electoral process.

The DMK, which has fielded Anniiyur Siva for the bypoll, launched a scathing attack on the AIADMK for pulling out of the contest, asserting that the latter took the decision as it feared another loss. DMK organisation secretary R S Bharathi pointed to the AIADMK’s previous losses, including its failure to secure deposits in several parliamentary seats.

In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the AIADMK candidates lost their deposits in seven constituencies – Chennai South, Kanyakumari, Puducherry, Theni, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Vellore.

Hitting back, the AIADMK reminded the DMK that it had also boycotted polls in the past and that it had no right to criticise the former. “The DMK abuses power and influences voters through money and muscle power like they did in the Erode East bypoll (in 2023),” AIADMK leader D Jayakumar alleged.

Meanwhile, the Anbumani Ramdoss-led PMK, an NDA constituent, has fielded party vice president C Anbumani with an eye on the OBC Vanniyar community – its traditional voter base. The party aims to capitalise on the community’s substantial presence in the constituency and the backing of the NDA while banking on prominent leaders like state BJP chief K Annamalai and Dhinakaran.

In the absence of its former ally AIADMK from the fray, the NDA will look to position itself as the “real” Opposition to challenge the DMK. Leaders like Dhinakaran, along with other former AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and V K Sasikala, are also making attempts to attract disillusioned AIADMK supporters to consolidate their own political base ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

Actor Vijay’s Tamila Vettri Kazhagam has also decided to stay out of electoral contests till the 2026 Assembly polls to focus on strengthening itself.