Why These Three Tamil Nadu Constituencies Are Important

Several key parties in Tamil Nadu announced their candidates on Friday that provided a clear picture of what the important contests in the 243 member assembly will look like in the upcoming elections.

DMK released a list of 173 candidates for the April 6 assembly elections. MK Stalin announced that he will contest the Kolathur seat while his son, Udhayanidhi, will make his poll debut from the Chepauk constituency.

Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan said, “I see in the battle in Coimbtatore South, a battle for the soil, language and people of Tamil Nadu. It is not me who will win this, it will be all of Tamil.”

As the battle for Tamil Nadu heats up, here’s a look at three key seats.

Kovilpatti

Just how much of a spoiler would TTV Dhinakaran be in this election? Snubbed by his aunt Sasikala’s abrupt exit from politics, he is tying alliances with much smaller parties to take on the might of the AIADMK and the DMK. His front is even smaller than Kamal Hassan’s grouping. Dhinakaran had garnered a decent vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but whether he would draw support this time remains to be seen.

Chepauk

MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin is cutting his teeth in electoral politics with the 2021 Assembly polls, putting himself against a PMK candidate in Chepauk. Choosing to contest from the seat his grandfather Kalaignar Karunanidhi had won many times, He is seen as a front-runner. Should he win, it will cement the entry of the third generation of the Kalaignar family in electoral politics in the Tamil Nadu.

Coimbatore South

Actor-turned politician Kamal Haasan will take on a BJP candidate from Coimbatore South, the constituency that had given him a decent wave of support in the 2019 Parliamentary elections. Haasan has taken his time to choose the constituency. Earlier, it was speculated that he would choose a Chennai seat, but it appears Haasan is banking on the ground work of his party Vice President Dr Mahendran in the district.