Declining representation in elected bodies worries AIADMK

During the times of charismatic J Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK was the Opposition party in neighbouring Puducherry, but now the party has no MLAs in the union territory. Similarly, the AIADMK is no more the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha. From 37 MPs - the number had dwindled to just one MP representing the Theni constituency. 

Adding to it, the AIADMK, which postponed the local body polls has no mayor and councillors in the TN cities. 

“Several AIADMK MLAs and party heavyweights in Puducherry migrated to the BJP and this had made the party to lose its base,” an AIADMK party senior said. 

In the last 2016 elections, the AIADMK had four MLAs, in the UT, but this election was a rout for the party despite the alliance coming to power, the senior rued. 

“I am not surprised that the number of elected representatives in AIADMK is going down, it will go down further in the upcoming polls,” opined Professor Ramu Manivannan, Department of Politics and Public administration, Madras University. The AIADMK’s outlook has to change and the party had suffered a lot because of its leadership crisis. The foot map for the BJP in Tamil Nadu has adversely affected the AIADMK in the past four years. In my views, the AIADMK without Jayalalithaa has more weakness than strength and that’s the reason they lost the 2021 Assembly polls. The party should to do a course correction and address the issues that weaken the Dravidian party, Mainvannan added. 

According to another AIADMK senior, the next big challenge for the party is to face the local body polls. The DMK is currently working on the coronavirus pandemic and once when the normalcy restores there is every possibility for the State Election Commission to hold the polls to urban local bodies in the state. Further, the DMK had also in its poll manifesto assured to conduct the civic elections and the polls may be conducted by the end of this year. 

“In a matter of six months, the DMK and AIADMK will face elections to fill five posts for the Rajya Sabha, including the three current vacancies and there are possibilities for mayor elections in the state. If the civic polls are held the performance of AIADMK in it will be crucial,” said north Chennai MGR Mandram functionary Poonganagar Selvam.