T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress combine won 28 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the Lok Sabha election.

While the DMK captured 18 seats, its allies, the Congress and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi won nine and one seat respectively.

As part of the Democratic Progressive Alliance, the DMK contested 22 seats, the Congress 16 constituencies and the VCK two.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led front won 12 seats. Of these, the AIADMK bagged nine seats while its allies, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Communist Party of India and the CPI (Marxist) netted one each. The Pattali Makkal Katchi, which switched over to the AIADMK camp in late March and contested in seven constituencies, drew a blank. The AIADMK contested 23 constituencies, the MDMK four and the two Communist parties three seats each.

The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, led by Vijayakant, lost in all the 40 seats it contested. Though it did not finish second in any of the seats, it secured over one lakh votes in several constituencies.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which contested in 12 constituencies as part of a seven-party alliance, lost in all. Its nominee and former Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan finished second in the Kanyakumari constituency by a difference of about 65,700 seats. Party national secretary S. Thirunavuukarasar and State president L. Ganesan lost in the Ramanathapuram and South Chennai constituencies.

While the ruling combine sought the people’s mandate once more on the plank of its performance, the Opposition AIADMK front raised a host of issues including the Sri Lankan Tamils question.

M.K. Azhagiri, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s son, won the Madurai constituency by a margin of about 1.4 lakh votes.

Among other prominent winners in the State were Dayanidhi Maran and A. Raja (DMK), P. Chidambaram and M. Krishnasswamy (Congress), M. Thambidurai, S. Semmalai and O.S. Manian (AIADMK), A. Ganesamoorthy (MDMK) and Thol. Thirumavalavan (VCK). Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. Narayanasamy won from Puducherry, defeating the sitting Member of Parliament and PMK nominee M. Ramadass.

Union Ministers and Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar and E.V.K.S. Elangovan, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. V. Thangkabalu, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, two-time Madurai CPI (M) MP P. Mohan and CPI State secretary D. Pandian were the notable losers.

Of the 18 seats won, the DMK defeated its arch-rival AIADMK in seven constituencies; the PMK in five constituencies and the MDMK, the CPI and the CPI (M) in two constituencies each. The Congress beat the AIADMK in seven constituencies and defeated the PMK and the MDMK in one seat.