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Anbumani Ramadoss suffers shock defeat, Vanniyar bastion Dharmapuri chooses DMK

True to its reputation of not re-electing a sitting MP, Dharmapuri voters handed a humiliating defeat to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, a former Union Minister. DMK’s S Senthil Kumar picked up a comfortable victory with a margin of over 70,753 votes.

In a constituency dominated by Vanniyars, a dominant caste-group in Tamil Nadu, Anbumani Ramadoss who is from the Vanniyar-based Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) lost to DMK’s S Senthil Kumar. Senthil Kumar polled 5,74,988 votes in the recently concluded Parliamentary Elections while Anbumani could manage only 5,04,235 votes.

Dharmapuri witnessed a three-cornered fight this election season. While sitting MP Anbumani Ramadoss of the PMK sought a re-election, and was the candidate for the AIADMK-led alliance, Senthil Kumar was the DMK’s candidate and P Palaniappan, a former Tamil Nadu Minister contested on an AMMK ticket. Interestingly, Dharmapuri has not re-elected a sitting MP since 1977.

Senthil Kumar, who emerged victorious in a tightly-fought battle, is the grandson of DN Vadivelu Goundar, who had played a major role in making Dharmapuri a separate district, carved out of Salem.

Anbumani Ramadoss, who had hoped to ride on the Vanniyar vote bank tasted defeat with  5,04,235 votes. Palaniappan P came third in Dharmapuri. The PMK, which had until recently been a strong critic of the ruling AIADMK, joined hands with the AIADMK-BJP combine for the Lok Sabha polls 2019. Meanwhile, the DMK partnered with Congress, VCK, Left parties, among other parties to fight the general elections.

Speaking to TNM, a jubilant Senthil Kumar said that the victory was a mark of faith that the DMK had on him, as they gave him the ticket to contest. “My sincere thanks to the people who voted for me and my family and friends who worked really hard to ensure my victory. My grandfather DN Vadivelu Goundar had a legacy here and I am honoured to be representing Dharmapuri in the Lok Sabha for the next five years,” he said.

Source: The News Minute