TN elections: DMK plans micro strategy to reach out to communities

Chennai: In January, K K Selvakumar of the Veera Mutharaiyar Munnetra Sangam, which wields significant influence among Mutharaiyars who are spread across Central Tamil Nadu, announced his support for the ruling DMK in the 2026 assembly elections. 

A couple of months ago, K S Raj Gounder, belonging to Vettuva Gounder community, put his weight behind the DMK in the presence of deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin after rechristening his caste outfit into a political party named Puthiya Dravida Kazhagam. Udhayanidhi’s presence at the event organised by Raj Gounder did stoke a controversy with many questioning the DMK’s social justice principles. 

The two events, which took place months apart, show how the ruling DMK is reaching out to communities that lack proper political representation ahead of the April-May assembly elections. The party is also identifying castes that are minority but could hold key to victory in several constituencies across the state, unwilling to take chances as Tamil Nadu is set to witness a four-cornered contest this election. 

DMK has been recalibrating its electoral strategy with Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) expected to dent the vote bank of almost all political parties due to the actor’s superstar status.

About 30 communities have been identified for the outreach, DMK leaders told DH, adding that a few community leaders will be fielded as candidates in the election. 

 Selvakumar’s outfit, which had supported the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, could help the DMK further its outreach among Mutharaiyars, who had traditionally voted for the AIADMK given their fascination for the legendary M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. The DMK worked behind the scenes to bring Selvakumar to its fold months after the party claimed to be behind the release of a commemorative stamp in honour of Perumbidigu Mutharaiyar, an eighth-century ruler of the Mutharaiyar dynasty. 

 The DMK first reached out to the community in 2021 polls by giving a cabinet berth to Siva V Meyyanathan, a Mutharaiyar, in a bid to wean away the community from the AIADMK. Mutharaiyars were unhappy with the AIADMK after Selvakumar was denied a seat in the 2021 assembly polls. 

 “Mutharaiyars are spread across Central Tamil Nadu, and they decide the winner in about 20 constituencies. We believe that the outreach will result in the community supporting the party. Every votes becomes important in a multi-cornered contest and that’s why we are identifying sections that are not politically represented in proportion to their population,” a DMK leader told DH.

 The DMK is also mulling fielding Selvakumar from an assembly seat in the region on the party’s symbol, Rising Sun. “By giving tickets to these community leaders, we are not merely enlisting their support in that seat but across the region and in constituencies where we field members from the community,” the leader added. 

 Like Mutharaiyars, Vettuva Gounders, who are less influential politically when compared to Kongu Vellala Gounders, are being wooed by the DMK as it makes a concerted effort to make inroads into western Tamil Nadu, still dominated by the AIADMK. 

 “While Vellala Gounders have long leaned towards the AIADMK, we are tapping into other communities. We are also making a list of communities that are minority in many constituencies and reaching out to them to vote for us. This strategy is being replicated across the state,” another DMK leader added.