Low vote share spoils PMK’s celebratory mood over win in 5 seats

Notably, the dip in vote share has come despite the 10.5 per cent reservation announced by the AIADMK regime. 

The PMK contested in 23 seats in the AIADMK alliance and managed to win five seats by securing 4.04 per cent. Though PMK, which had no representation in the previous House, has got five MLAs in the 16th Assembly, the low voting percentage has come as rude shock to the party, which otherwise has been maintaining an average of 5 per cent vote share in the elections held since 2001. 

The PMK in 2001 obtained 5.6 percentage, in 2006 it secured 5.65 percentage, in 2009 the party polled 6.8 percentage of the total votes, its highest ever. The fall in share started from 2011, when the party’s tally stood at 5.2 percentage, in the following election in 2014 it secured 4.4 percentage, in 2016, it obtained 5.3 percentage and in 2019, PMK obtained 5.4 percentage. 

PMK continued its alliance with AIADMK and BJP from the 2019 Parliament elections and when there were expectations that the PMK will fare well in the 2021 elections after the 10.5 percentage reservation announcement for Vanniyar community, the results have come as a disappointment for not the Ramadoss party alone, but also for AIADMK leaders, including former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, on whose insistence the continued in the alliance despite opposition from many Ministers. 

Going by the numbers, PMK won just 3 seats in northern Tamil Nadu, which were said to be its strongholds and two in Kongu belt. In fact, the DMK won 69 out of 89 seats in northern districts leaving just 20 seats for AIADMK and its alliance. 

AIADMK leaders feel that the PMK did not do justice to the 10.5 percentage reservation. “Our party had alliance with the PMK on the hope that its voteshare will help us win more seats in northern districts. However, the situation was the other way round as we had to work for their win. With our help, the PMK won two seats - Salem West and Mettur,” said a former AIADMK minister, on request of anonymity, who also added that party leadership will review the reason for our defeat. 

When PMK leader K Balu was asked about the performance of the party in the elections, he refuted the comments of AIADMK leaders and said that 10.5 percentage reservation had in fact helped the PMK win in five seats. 

“We won in 5 seats and lost in five seats by very narrow margins. Despite the wins our vote share decreased because we contested in less seats than the previous elections,” said Balu.