Chennai: Just a few months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, political parties in Tamil Nadu took center stage on Monday at the 'guru pooja' celebrations of Forward Bloc leader 'Pasumpon' Muthuramalinga Thevar, revered by Mukulathors, a numerically strong and politically influential community spread across the central and southern parts of the state.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami (who stayed away from the annual event in 2021 and 2022), BJP state unit chief K Annamalai, and AIADMK rebels V K Sasikala, O Panneerselvam, and T T V Dhinakaran – all three are Mukulathors – were in attendance at Pasumpon village to commemorate Thevar’s birth and death anniversary, both falling on the same date.
The presence of Palaniswami at the event after a two-year absence is significant as political analysts expect a polarization of Mukulathor votes this time around. The AIADMK, which has been a favorite among the community since the times of M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, lacks a “strong face” this time, with even Panneerselvam facing the axe.
Palaniswami, who now has complete control of the AIADMK, is going the extra mile to reach out to the Mukulathors, who wield considerable influence in over 10 Lok Sabha constituencies and 50 assembly segments. He aims to ensure that their votes don’t go to the OPS-VKS-TTV trio, who are likely to be part of the BJP’s Third Front, which is likely to take shape soon.
The effort by EPS also comes amid visible opposition to him from a section of Mukulathors for “side lining” leaders from the community. In fact, the former chief minister did face sloganeering against him in a couple of places en route to Pasumpon from Madurai.
Thevar, a freedom fighter and leader of the All India Forward Bloc who worked under Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, is a polarizing figure in Tamil Nadu politics. He is considered a demi-god by the Mukulathors but denounced by Dalits. The two communities have a chequered history in southern Tamil Nadu, which once saw frequent riots.
Despite not enjoying the complete trust of the community, the DMK has been trying to woo the Mukulathors and hopes to garner a portion of the votes in the 2024 polls. Stalin also announced the allotment of funds to erect additional structures at the Thevar memorial, which was constructed when his father M Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister.
Palaniswami’s outreach is also important because the AIADMK’s prospects in the 2019 and 2021 polls were hurt by Dhinakaran’s AMMK, which split the community votes, indirectly helping the DMK.
Conscious of shedding the Gounder tag that the party acquired after he took over as Chief Minister in 2017, Palaniswami, in 2022, made Dindigul C Sreenivasan and R B Udhayakumar – both Mukulathors – the treasurer and his deputy in the AIADMK Legislature Party to send out an olive branch to the community.
By roping in TTV and OPS, the BJP also believes it can further cut into the AIADMK’s Mukulathor vote bank.
Prof. Ramu Manivannan, Visiting Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver in the US, told DH that this year’s Thevar Jayanthi assumes significance as there is a lot more fluidity in Mukulathor votes.
“Palaniswami cannot expect the votes of Mukulathors in toto. The split in the AIADMK will have an impact on the way Mukulathors vote. Since there is polarization, the community may not vote in a predetermined way. Moreover, there is no one within the community to consolidate the leadership,” Manivannan told DH.
He also feels the BJP will certainly try to make inroads and exploit the community votes. “But how deep they can go and pick up a leader in the community remains to be seen,” the professor added."
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