Chennai: Senior DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Palanivel Thiagarajan (PTR) is trailing in second place with 40,367 votes in his high-profile Madurai Central constituency, according to data released by the Election Commission at 3.42 pm. PTR has held the seat since 2016.
Madhar Badhurudeen of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is leading with 59,834 votes, and Sundar C. of the AIADMK is in third place with 32,181 votes.
Sundar C., popular actor-filmmaker making his electoral debut in Madurai Central, brings an appeal of “new leadership” targeting urban youth. Sundar, in his campaign, alleged that PTR was disconnected with voters and promised change, making the contest symbolically charged.
This is PTR’s third contest in Madurai Central after first winning the seat in 2016 as a DMK candidate with 42.55 per cent votes, and retaining it in 2021 with an improved 49.47 percentage of votes.
His base in Madurai Central stems from his family history, where his father Palanivel Rajan was former Speaker, and MLA from the same constituency. His grandfather was chief minister of Madras Presidency before Independence. PTR’s deep-rooted Dravidian connect had thus helped him build a base in the constituency.
During his tenure as finance minister in Tamil Nadu, PTR found himself increasingly sidelined following a major controversy in April 2023.
Unverified audio tapes were shared on social media, including by BJP leader K. Annamalai, that purportedly featured PTR’s voice making critical remarks and corruption allegations against members of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s family, including son Udhayanidhi. PTR had termed the audio “malicious and fabricated”.
However, the episode created significant embarrassment for the DMK leadership. In the subsequent cabinet reshuffle in May 2023, PTR was relieved of the high-profile finance portfolio and shifted to the relatively lower-profile Ministry of Information Technology.
The move was widely perceived as a loss of favour with the top leadership, but he continued to serve in the cabinet.
PTR’s image of a highly educated professional with a good urban and business voter base in Madurai Central brings him significant visibility.
Earlier, as finance minister, he had positioned himself as a leader focusing on fiscal prudence, industrial growth and digital governance. The image, however, also propelled him as more of a state-level policy figure than an MLA, creating a disconnect with ground-level issues like local infrastructure, jobs or everyday governance in this mixed urban area seat.
Within the DMK, PTR’s retention in the state cabinet underscores the party’s trust in his expertise, especially amid economic and technological priorities.
If victorious, he is expected to continue as a senior minister, while addressing Madurai-specific development to strengthen his base for higher responsibilities. A win would also reinforce the DMK’s hold on Madurai.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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