Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections | Vanniyar quota keeps the pot boiling in northern Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu’s northern area, with its good mixture of city and rural districts, presents an fascinating problem for political events this time.

In Chennai and its surrounding districts of Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu, the focus is essentially on civic and infrastructure points. However, in the northern districts of Cuddalore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupathur, caste and the rise in costs of important commodities are more likely to play a key function.

With the rural areas being a Vanniyar heartland, the 10.5% unique inner reservation supplied to the neighborhood in the final minute by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) authorities is more likely to have an effect, each methods. The area additionally has a powerful inhabitants of Dalits, in addition to staggered focus of different communities reminiscent of Mudaliars, Yadavas and minorities.

While the area is taken into account the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) conventional stronghold, the AIADMK, which has few sturdy regional leaders like Law Minister C. Ve. Shanmugam, has tied up with the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which largely represents the pursuits of the Vanniyars. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) alliance with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) is predicted to result in a consolidation of Dalits, giant sections of whom are pitted towards the Vanniyars.

The DMK has historically gained a majority of the seats in Chennai, besides in 2006 and 2011. The contest in the capital metropolis and its shut environment is basically primarily based on the strengths of the DMK and AIADMK, with their allies contributing solely in small measure. DMK president M.K. Stalin, who’s making a powerful bid for the chief ministership, is contesting for a 3rd consecutive time in Kolathur, whereas his son and actor Udhayanidhi Stalin is making his electoral debut from Chepauk Thiruvallikeni, a constituency represented thrice by his grandfather M. Karunanidhi. The AIADMK has additionally fielded some outstanding personalities in the metropolis, together with former Minister Gokula Indira and former Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy. Actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam with its pro-urban picture is predicted to ballot decently in the capital.

In rural areas, the face of politics went for a change when S. Ramadoss, a medical skilled, mobilised Vanniyars in the Nineteen Eighties on the plank of unique reservation for the neighborhood. It resulted in the DMK authorities (1989-91) creating 20% reservation for the Most Backward Classes (MBCs), together with the Vanniyars. Dr. Ramadoss, subsequently, based PMK, and it developed as a stable associate for any political alliance that gained elections between 1998 and 2006. However, since 2009, the get together has been on a dropping streak, although it has an assured vote financial institution of over 5%.

This time, the get together fought and secured an unique 10.5% reservation for Vanniyars with the Most Backward Classes quota, resulting in retention of its alliance with the AIADMK.

However, this has led to talks of a “counter consolidation” of different communities. “Of course, the 10.5% reservation has consolidated the Vanniyars. But it has also angered other communities,” mentioned Sahitya Akademi Award winner Imayam, who has captured the lives of the folks in the northern districts in his works. He feels this may increasingly draw antagonistic response from the different communities at the polling cubicles.

Villagers in Tiruvannamalai district mentioned the Vanniyars and non-Vanniyars, each in the DMK and the AIADMK, are more and more discovering themselves on reverse sides of the debate after the reservation was introduced. The PMK management, nonetheless, has sought to mission the unique reservation as a “social justice issue”. It has argued that its intention is that this could type the foundation of population-based proportional reservation for all communities as soon as the caste census is taken.

According to Imayam, mobilisation on caste traces had its clear disadvantages and it will mirror in the present election additionally. He feels voters could settle for a Dalit or Vanniyar candidate of the DMK and the AIADMK, however not the ones fielded by events completely representing the pursuits of the communities. “You should keep in mind that though Vanniyars and Dalits constitute a major portion of the population of Cuddalore district, non-Vanniyar and non-Dalit candidates were elected from the Cuddalore Lok Sabha constituency,” he defined.

However, his principle could not maintain good all the time if previous elections are a sign. In the final Lok Sabha polls, each the VCK candidates had gained. Similarly, the PMK’s candidates additionally emerged victorious in giant numbers previous to 2009.

While rural voters have discovered the AIADMK’s promise of a free washer and 6 free LPG cylinders engaging, the doubt over reservation — since Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam mentioned it was “provisional”— has additionally precipitated some discontent amongst the Vanniyars. Moreover, anti-incumbency components coupled with inner-party feuding in the AIADMK camp over the number of candidates in the Panruti and Kurinjipadi constituencies in Cuddalore district has impacted the tone of the AIADMK’s marketing campaign noticeably.

A functionary of the AIADMK mentioned that the skirmishes in the get together, and variations towards the Industries Minister M.C. Sampath which have spilled out in the open, may play spoilsport and injury the get together’s probabilities in just a few constituencies.

Ranipet, Vellore and Tirupathur accounting for 13 constituencies have a considerable inhabitants of Muslims. The DMK has tied up with two Muslim events, the Indian Union Muslim League and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, whereas the AIADMK’s alliance with the Bharathiya Janata Party may value it the votes of minorities.

Just as western Tamil Nadu decides the AIADMK’s prospects, the north may resolve the DMK’s.

(With inputs from Udhav Naig, Vivek Narayanan and S. Prasad)