Aruppukkottai in Virudhunagar district is a high-profile constituency currently represented by senior DMK leader K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran. In the 2021 Assembly elections, DMK’s K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran won with 91,040 votes, defeating AIADMK’s Vaigaichelvan by a margin of 39,034 votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran of the DMK secured victory with 81,485 votes, defeating AIADMK’s Vaigaichelvan by 18,054 votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s Vaigaichelvan won the seat with 76,546 votes, defeating DMK’s K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran by a margin of 10,638 votes. Historically, the constituency has witnessed close competition between the two Dravidian parties. Since the 1977 elections, the AIADMK has won six times while the DMK has secured five victories. The 234-seat Assembly election in Tamil Nadu will see the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, take on the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and a resurgent BJP-led alliance. The campaign is centred around issues such as welfare schemes, law and order, and the broader debate between Dravidian political identity and national integration narratives. While the DMK government is highlighting its record on industrial growth and social justice, the opposition has targeted it over allegations of corruption and concerns about power shortages.
