Balaji, an ex-AIADMK leader who joined DMK in 2018, has swiftly become one of the most trusted lieutenants of DMK chief MK Stalin. Known for his grassroots connect and political influence, Balaji exuded confidence that the ruling DMK would come to power for a second consecutive term and remained unfazed over the Vijay factor. He spoke of how Tamil Nadu has had several “new parties” that have tried to be alternatives to the Dravidian majors and have not been able to make a meaningful dent. “Did we have only two parties till now? It’s one among many. Let’s see how much they corner after the results. Let’s talk then,” he said.
He went on to add that the Vijay-led TVK would have only been a threat if it ate into their vote bank. “We would’ve been worried if our vote bank decreased — from 45% (in 2021, 2024),” Balaji told ET. “Our vote and Stalin’s vote bank is intact. Whatever vote share we got in 2021 and 2024 — we will beat that percentage in this election. We will definitely win 200 seats”. He said not every young person is a TVK supporter and spoke of how the DMK’s youth wing alone has five lakh administrators under deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin. There’s a lot riding on the former minister who lost his ministerial berth due to corruption allegations. This election, he’s going all out and leaving nothing to chance.
Balaji has been going about his campaign with surgical precision and has also intensified his outreach to minorities in the region and said the Church in particular has pledged their support to the party. The minority vote is an important one for DMK as they account for around 15% of the voters in Tamil Nadu. This time, there is a concern that TVK could eat into this vote.”We met and spoke to church representatives,” he said. “We asked them to support us, it’s our duty (to meet them). They assured support.”
Balaji is not only handling his constituency but has been given the mandate of overseeing DMK’s operations in 35 constituencies in the region. Rubbishing allegations that the Opposition has made about the lack of safety for women and lawlessness, Balaji hit back and said that BJP finds it convenient to completely overlook all these matters when dealing with AIADMK. “BJP and AIADMK are in an alliance. The Thoothukudi firing happened in their regime. The Kodanad murder happened. The Pollachi issue — what do all these incidents say about law and order and women’s safety?” he said. “They have conveniently forgotten that and are attempting to blow up one or two stray incidents… These charges (of lack of safety) should be made by Tamil Nadu’s women. This seems like it is being done for the sake of politics. It’s meaningless.”
On the decision to contest from Coimbatore (South) rather than his home turf of Karur, Balaji said this was in accordance with the decision of DMK chief Stalin. He dismissed claims by the BJP-AIADMK combine that he was being fielded from the new constituency out of fear of losing in Karur.
