Dharmapuri: The electoral contest in Dharmapuri assembly segment in the vanniyar belt has become a battle of prestige for PMK. The agrarian, largely backward segment has emerged as one of the closely watched battlegrounds from the moment PMK announced Sowmiya Anbumani was announced as the candidate.“For others this is an assembly constituency, but for me Dharmapuri is maternal home,” says Sowmiya as she walks through the narrow lanes of the constituency. “I have not come here to campaign, but to meet my relatives,” she says.With 2.5 lakh voters, the constituency has long been considered a PMK bastion thanks to the caste base, which in turn gave the party a strong organisational muscle. Since 2001, the party has won thrice in the segment. In 2021 too, PMK’s S P Venkateshwaran defeated DMK’s Subramani P.This time the stakes are high. Sowmiya’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where she polled 79,527 votes in the Dharmapuri segment, outperforming DMK’s candidate by 13,000 votes, has given the confidence to PMK cadres for a win.“She has a clear edge. A wide vanniyar community base, PMK’s strong organizational network, and her appeal among women and educated voters is clear recipe for success,” said former PMK MP R Senthil.Yet, the road ahead is far from smooth. DMK has allotted the seat to Premallatha Vijayakant’s DMDK. The party has fielded V Ilangovan, who belongs to naidu candidate, considered a candidate with grassroot connect. His campaign resonates with rural and non-vanniyar voters who feel PMK has become too `family-centric.’“People are tired of PMK and their family tussle,” says Ilangovan. He says not every vanniyar votes for PMK. “I want to prove that vanniyars always back PMK,” he said. PMK’s rift is also expected to help the DMDK.Poll observers say TVK could play spoilsport in the segment. Political analyst Poomozhi says for Sowmiya Anbumani, the challenge is twofold – prevent the split in vanniyar vote and counter TVK’s surge among young voters.“Her campaign must appeal to both rural bases and urban aspirants,” he said adding that the balancing act will determine whether Dharmapuri remains firmly in PMK’s grip or slips into a multi-cornered contest. PMK and DMDK are also banking on the strengths of their allies AIADMK and DMK respectively.A victory here would cement Sowmiya as the face of PMK’s next line of leadership. But a defeat would signal something far more troubling for the PMK, that the party was not strong even in the vanniyar heartland.
