July 17, 2026

Tamil Nadu Civic Polls: Big Win For DMK

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2022-02-23 06:02:24

About the Author

Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

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The ADMK slide continues unabated in Tamil Nadu. It ceded further space to DMK in the civic election in the state, allowing the ruling party to win more than two-thirds of the civic wards in all the 21 municipal corporations and gained a majority in most of the 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayats. The ADMK was a distant second with only 15% wards. Surprisingly, the BJP performed better than expected and was ahead of other regional players.

This was a huge victory for the DMK and proved that the party has reestablished itself in the urban areas after the death of patriarch M Karunanidhi. On the other hand, it also proved that the ADMK has lost the people's confidence after Jayalathitha's demise and the internal squabbling that resulted. The DMK has gained as M K Stalin was seen as a clear successor to Karunandhi but there was no such person in the ADMK.

The biggest gain for the DMK was in western Tamil Nadu, which includes the industrial town of Coimbatore, considered a citadel of ADMK. It also won in the home turf of ADMK leaders like former chief minister K Palaniswami and senior leader O Panneerselvam. The DMK has won 946 wards in corporations, 2360 in municipalities and 4388 in town panchayats, completing its dominance of Tamil politics now.

This crushing defeat is likely to renew the calls for sweeping changes in the ADMK. The leadership of Palaniswami and Paneerselvam, who have kept an uneasy truce between them, is likely to be challenged once more. Sashikala is also waiting in the wings and it will not surprise anyone if she strikes now, either directly or through proxy candidates.