By The Coimbatore constituency is the battleground for Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, as he competes in his first Lok Sabha election.
Key Points for Coimbatore Lok Sabha Election
- Contenders: BJP’s K Annamalai faces off against DMK’s Ganapathy P Rajkumar and ADMK’s Singai G Ramachandran.
- Historical Context: DMK and ADMK have historically fielded few candidates in Coimbatore since 1952, often favoring their national allies.
- BJP’s Rising Presence: Since the 1998 serial blasts, the BJP has established a foothold in Coimbatore, gaining momentum and steadily building its presence.
- Previous Victories: The BJP won in alliances with ADMK in 1998 and with DMK in 1999.
- Annamalai’s Challenge: Annamalai aims to replicate past successes but faces challenges due to BJP running solo, DMK’s strong alliance and vote share, and ADMK’s solid grassroots support.
Nilgiris
- 2019 Winner: DMK’s A Raja.
- Key Contenders: DMK’s A Raja, BJP’s L Murugan, and ADMK’s Logesh Tamilselvan D.
- Overview: This reserved constituency encompasses regions from the plains and the hills, an area where the BJP has experienced electoral success in the late 1990s. A Raja, a former Union minister, won the seat in 2009 and 2019 but lost in 2014 to ADMK amidst the 2G scam allegations. BJP is hopeful that Union Minister of State L Murugan can erode the Dravidian party’s hold on the region with the backing of small tea farmers in the hills. Nevertheless, A Raja begins the race as the clear frontrunner.
Dharmapuri
- 2019 Winner: DMK’s S Senthilkumar.
- Key Contenders: PMK’s Sowmiya Ramadoss, DMK’s A Mani, and ADMK’s R Ashokan.
