Tiruvadanai, located in Ramanathapuram district, has frequently shifted between parties aligned with the DMK and AIADMK alliances. In the 2021 Assembly elections, INC’s R. M. Karumanikam won with 79,364 votes, defeating AIADMK’s K. C. Animuthu by a margin of 13,852 votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s Karunas won with 76,786 votes, defeating DMK’s S. P. Thivakaran by 8,696 votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections, DMK’s Suba. Thangavelan won with 64,165 votes, defeating DMDK’s S. Mujupur Rahman by a narrow margin of 927 votes. Historically, since the 1977 elections, the constituency has largely favoured the Congress, which has won six times, while the AIADMK has secured victory twice. The 234-seat Assembly election in Tamil Nadu will see the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, take on the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and a resurgent BJP-led alliance. The campaign is centred around issues such as welfare schemes, law and order, and the broader debate between Dravidian political identity and national integration narratives. While the DMK government is highlighting its record on industrial growth and social justice, the opposition has targeted it over allegations of corruption and concerns about power shortages.
