Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Encyclopedia
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (literally "Dravidian Progress Federation" ) (founded 1949, Madras Presidency
, India
) is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu
and Pondicherry, India
. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai
as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam
(known as Justice Party
till 1944) headed by Periyar. Since 1969, DMK is headed by M Karunanidhi, the prior Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. DMK holds the distinction of being the first party other than the Indian National Congress
to win state-level elections with clear majority on its own in any state in India.
) formed in 1916, by P. Thiyagarayar, Dr. P.T. Rajan, Dr. C. Natesa Mudaliar
and few others. The Justice Party, whose objectives included social equality and justice, came to power in the first General Elections to Madras Presidency
in 1920. E. V. Ramasami Naicker, a popular Tamil leader of the time, who had joined Indian National Congress
in 1919, to oppose what he considered as the Brahmin
ic leadership of the party. Naicker's experience at the Vaikom Satyagraha
made him to start the Self-Respect Movement
in 1926 which was rationalistic and "violently anti-Brahminic". He quit Congress and in 1935, he joined the Justice Party. In the 1937 elections, the Justice Party lost and the Indian National Congress
under C. Rajagopalachari
("Rajaji") came to power in Madras Presidency. Rajaji's introduction of Hindi
as a compulsory subject in schools led to the anti-Hindi agitations
, led by Periyar and his associates.
, decided to split from Dravidar Kazhagham, after an aged Periyar married a young woman Maniammai and anointed his young wife to act as his successor to lead the party, superseding senior party leaders. Until then E. V. K. Sampath
, the nephew of Periyar, was considered as his political heir.
Annadurai, on 17 September 1949 along with V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
, K.A. Mathiazhagan, K. Anbazhagan
, N.V. Natarajan, E. V. K. Sampath
and thousands of others in Robinson park in Royapuram
in Chennai
announced the formation of the DMK.
("MGR") joined the DMK, popularised the party flag and symbol which at that time stood for secession from India by showing it in his movies. MGR was a member of the DMK, and he was seen as an icon of the DMK and spread its message through films like Anbe Vaa
. DMK entered the electoral fray rather unsuccessfully in 1957 with even senior leader V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
losing from Salem although M Karunanidhi won after initially having opposed all-Indian government and later supporting only those parties which promised to help its secession from India cause.
wanted a separate Dravida Nadu but the DMK changed its stance with the Chinese invasion in 1962 and suspended its demand for the length of the war and supported India raising funds for the war. When the war ended, nationalistic feelings were so strong that DMK gave up the separate Dravida nation idea.
The Anti-Hindi agitations
of 1965 forced the central government
to abandon its efforts to impose Hindi
as the only official language of the country; still Hindi imposition continued as Indian government employees are asked to write as much as 65% of the letters and memoranda in Hindi.
In 1967, DMK came to power in Madras province 18 years after its formation and 10 years after it had first entered electoral politics. This began the Dravidian era in Madras province which later became Tamil Nadu
.
In 1969, party general secretary and founder, CN Annadurai died. After his death, there came the power tussle between M Karunanidhi and V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
. Most of the elected MLAs of DMK, including leaders like Mathialagan, Nanjil Manoharan and the celluloid hero MGR favoured Karunanidhi as CM in preference to Nedunchezhiyan, the Senior leader after Anna. To pacify V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
a new post called party president was created for M Karunanidhi and V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
was the post of general secretary . MGR was appointed as the Treasurer of the Party.
During the Indian President election, there was divided opinion between the leaders of Indian National Congress. Though the party nominated Dr.Sanjiva Reddy as the Official Candidate, the then Prime Minister, Mrs.Indira Gandhi had suddenly switched her allegiance to Dr.V.V.Giri, the Opposition-sponsored Candidate. She had also advised all party elected members to vote according to their conscience. Dr.V.V.Giri was elected as the President of India with the support of Mrs.Indira Gandhi. This has resulted in the split of Congress Party and in October 1969. Senior Leaders like Morarji Desai, Athulya Ghosh, Kamarajar, S K Patil and Nijalingappa on the one side as Congress (Organisation) and Indira Gandhi, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Jagjivan Ram, C Subramaniam on the Other Side as Congress (Indira). The DMK, led by Mr.Karunanidhi took a stance to support Mrs.Indira Gandhi in certain reforms like abolition of privy purse, nationalisation of Banks.
In 1971 election, the DMK fought in alliance with Congress (Indira)and the Opposition alliance which consisted of the two Senior National Leaders, Rajaji and Kamarajar was termed as a strong alliance and was widely supported by Media to re-capture power in Tamil Nadu. However, the DMK emerged victorious with a vast majority of 183 seats out of 234. The Opposition Grand alliance could capture only 25 seats.
(MGR) who was a popular actor and the then party treasurer had played a vital part in popularizing the party's ideologies. The political feud between MGR and the party president Karunanidhi emerged as an aftermath of the latter calling himself "Mujib
of Tamil Nadu". In 1972, MGR called for a boycott of the party's General Council. With the crisis falling into call for corruption probe by MGR, he was eventually suspended from the General Council. Thus emerged a new party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(AIADMK).
In 1977, DMK lost the Assembly elections to MGR's AIADMK, and stayed out of power in the state till 1989. After MGR's death in December 1987, AIADMK split into two factions between Janaki
(MGR's wife) and Jayalalithaa. DMK returned to power in 1989 State assembly elections and Karunanidhi took over as chief minister in January 1989. Subsequent to this, the LTTE "sent personal emissaries to Karunanidhi for seeking his active support in their battle against the IPKF".
Then in 1991 elections are arranged to be held for both State and Central government. In 21 May 1991 Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai in an election campaign meeting. It was later found the he has been killed by suicide bomber from LTTE, citing IPKF atrocities in Srilanka as a reason.
This led to a sympathy wave in favor of AIADMK–Congress alliance and the DMK was deprived of any seats in the Parliament. This brought about the rise of a new political rival J.Jayalalithaa for the DMK. The AIADMK won the 1991 state Assembly elections and Jayalalithaa took over as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
In the 1996 state elections, DMK came to power on strength of corruption charges against J.Jayalalithaa and the alliance with Tamil Maanila Congress
(TMC), headed by G.K. Moopanar and supported by cine actor Rajinikanth. However, in 2001, the AIADMK, on strength of a strong alliance and the incumbency factor against DMK, came back to power in the state assembly elections.
In the 2004 parliamentary elections, DMK formed an alliance with Congress and the Pattali Makkal Katchi
(PMK) and swept a grand Victory, the alliance winning all 40 seats including Pondicherry. This enabled 7 ministerial posts in the Central government and influential power to DMK.
Two years later in 2006, the same alliance won in the state assembly elections and the DMK, for the first time formed a minority government in the state with help from Congress. Mr. M Karunanidhi become the Chief Minister of the State for the fifth time. The DMK-Congress alliance was also successful in the 2009 parliamentary elections, securing a majority of the Lok Sabha seats.
Post 2009, the party was mired in a series of corruption charges linked to its telecom ministers in Parliament, including the 2G Spectrum scam
. In the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, 2011
, the party lost power to the AIADMK-DMDK alliance and J.Jayalalithaa once again took over as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 2011. Fledgling party Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK), presided by cine actor Vijayakanth became the main opposition party in the state, pushing DMK to third place.
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Pondicherry, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai
C. N. Annadurai
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai , popularly called Anna , or Arignar Anna was a former Chief Minister of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu...
as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam or Dravida Kazhagam was the first fully Dravidian party in India. It was a radical party formed by E. V. Ramaswamy, also called Thanthai Periyar of erstwhile Madras Presidency...
(known as Justice Party
Justice Party (India)
The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency...
till 1944) headed by Periyar. Since 1969, DMK is headed by M Karunanidhi, the prior Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. DMK holds the distinction of being the first party other than the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
to win state-level elections with clear majority on its own in any state in India.
Justice Party
DMK traces its roots to the South Indian Liberal Federation (Justice PartyJustice Party (India)
The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency...
) formed in 1916, by P. Thiyagarayar, Dr. P.T. Rajan, Dr. C. Natesa Mudaliar
C. Natesa Mudaliar
C. Natesa Mudaliar , also known as Natesan, was a politician and activist of the Dravidian Movement from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was one of the founders of the Justice Party along with Theagaroya Chetty and Dr. T. M. Nair....
and few others. The Justice Party, whose objectives included social equality and justice, came to power in the first General Elections to Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
in 1920. E. V. Ramasami Naicker, a popular Tamil leader of the time, who had joined Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
in 1919, to oppose what he considered as the Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
ic leadership of the party. Naicker's experience at the Vaikom Satyagraha
Vaikom Satyagraha
Vaikom Satyagraha was a satyagraha in Travancore, India against untouchability in Hindu society. The movement was centered at the Shiva temple at Vaikom, near Kottayam.The Satyagraha aimed at securing freedom of movement for all sections of society through the public roads leading to the Sri...
made him to start the Self-Respect Movement
Self-Respect Movement
The Self-Respect Movement was founded in 1925 by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in Tamil Nadu, India. The movement has the aim of achieving a society where backward castes have equal human rights, and encouraging backward castes to have self-respect in the context of a caste based society that...
in 1926 which was rationalistic and "violently anti-Brahminic". He quit Congress and in 1935, he joined the Justice Party. In the 1937 elections, the Justice Party lost and the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
under C. Rajagopalachari
C. Rajagopalachari
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari , informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, independence activist, politician, writer and statesman. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India...
("Rajaji") came to power in Madras Presidency. Rajaji's introduction of Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
as a compulsory subject in schools led to the anti-Hindi agitations
Anti-Hindi agitations
The Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu are a series of agitations that happened in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu during both pre- and post-Independence periods...
, led by Periyar and his associates.
Dravida Kazhagam
In August 1944, Periyar created the 'Dravida Kazhagham' out of the Justice Party and the Self-Respect Movement at the Salem Provincial Conference. Dravidar Kazhagam insisted on an independent nation for Dravidians called Dravida Nadu consisting of areas that were covered under Madras Presidency.Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Over the years, many disputes arose between Periyar and his followers. In 1949, several of his followers led by C. N. AnnaduraiC. N. Annadurai
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai , popularly called Anna , or Arignar Anna was a former Chief Minister of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu...
, decided to split from Dravidar Kazhagham, after an aged Periyar married a young woman Maniammai and anointed his young wife to act as his successor to lead the party, superseding senior party leaders. Until then E. V. K. Sampath
E. V. K. Sampath
Erode Venkatta Naicker Krishnasamy Sampath , usually referred to as E. V. K. Sampath was a prominent politician from Tamil Nadu, India. He was an advocate of Dravidian Movement of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and was considered by some as his political heir. He later split from Periyar's Dravidar...
, the nephew of Periyar, was considered as his political heir.
Annadurai, on 17 September 1949 along with V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V.R. Nedunchezhiyan was a former finance minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also the acting chief minister of Tamil Nadu in two tenures .He was born at Thirukkannapuram in a Hindu Mudaliar family...
, K.A. Mathiazhagan, K. Anbazhagan
K. Anbazhagan
Kalyanasundaram Anbazhagan is the former finance minister of Tamil Nadu. He was re-elected as the General Secretary of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam eighth time in a row. He has been elected to be a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative assembly nine times...
, N.V. Natarajan, E. V. K. Sampath
E. V. K. Sampath
Erode Venkatta Naicker Krishnasamy Sampath , usually referred to as E. V. K. Sampath was a prominent politician from Tamil Nadu, India. He was an advocate of Dravidian Movement of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and was considered by some as his political heir. He later split from Periyar's Dravidar...
and thousands of others in Robinson park in Royapuram
Royapuram
Royapuram , a locality of Chennai, South India, is the place where the first railway station of south India was constructed, and from where the laying down of the second railway line of the South Asia commenced in the 1850s. This railway line extended from Royapuram to Arcot, then capital of the...
in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
announced the formation of the DMK.
MGR's entry
In 1953, actor M. G. RamachandranM. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....
("MGR") joined the DMK, popularised the party flag and symbol which at that time stood for secession from India by showing it in his movies. MGR was a member of the DMK, and he was seen as an icon of the DMK and spread its message through films like Anbe Vaa
Anbe Vaa
Anbe Vaa was a high-budget Tamil language film starring M. G. Ramachandran and Saroja Devi in the lead rols. The film was released in the year 1966.The lead actor MGR was paid a new career peak salary of $70,000 for this project.-Plot:...
. DMK entered the electoral fray rather unsuccessfully in 1957 with even senior leader V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V.R. Nedunchezhiyan was a former finance minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also the acting chief minister of Tamil Nadu in two tenures .He was born at Thirukkannapuram in a Hindu Mudaliar family...
losing from Salem although M Karunanidhi won after initially having opposed all-Indian government and later supporting only those parties which promised to help its secession from India cause.
1960s
AnnaduraiAnnadurai
Annadurai can refer to:* C. N. Annadurai, an Indian politician* Mylswamy Annadurai, an Indian scientist...
wanted a separate Dravida Nadu but the DMK changed its stance with the Chinese invasion in 1962 and suspended its demand for the length of the war and supported India raising funds for the war. When the war ended, nationalistic feelings were so strong that DMK gave up the separate Dravida nation idea.
The Anti-Hindi agitations
Anti-Hindi agitations
The Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu are a series of agitations that happened in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu during both pre- and post-Independence periods...
of 1965 forced the central government
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
to abandon its efforts to impose Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
as the only official language of the country; still Hindi imposition continued as Indian government employees are asked to write as much as 65% of the letters and memoranda in Hindi.
In 1967, DMK came to power in Madras province 18 years after its formation and 10 years after it had first entered electoral politics. This began the Dravidian era in Madras province which later became Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
In 1969, party general secretary and founder, CN Annadurai died. After his death, there came the power tussle between M Karunanidhi and V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V.R. Nedunchezhiyan was a former finance minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also the acting chief minister of Tamil Nadu in two tenures .He was born at Thirukkannapuram in a Hindu Mudaliar family...
. Most of the elected MLAs of DMK, including leaders like Mathialagan, Nanjil Manoharan and the celluloid hero MGR favoured Karunanidhi as CM in preference to Nedunchezhiyan, the Senior leader after Anna. To pacify V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V.R. Nedunchezhiyan was a former finance minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also the acting chief minister of Tamil Nadu in two tenures .He was born at Thirukkannapuram in a Hindu Mudaliar family...
a new post called party president was created for M Karunanidhi and V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V.R. Nedunchezhiyan was a former finance minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also the acting chief minister of Tamil Nadu in two tenures .He was born at Thirukkannapuram in a Hindu Mudaliar family...
was the post of general secretary . MGR was appointed as the Treasurer of the Party.
During the Indian President election, there was divided opinion between the leaders of Indian National Congress. Though the party nominated Dr.Sanjiva Reddy as the Official Candidate, the then Prime Minister, Mrs.Indira Gandhi had suddenly switched her allegiance to Dr.V.V.Giri, the Opposition-sponsored Candidate. She had also advised all party elected members to vote according to their conscience. Dr.V.V.Giri was elected as the President of India with the support of Mrs.Indira Gandhi. This has resulted in the split of Congress Party and in October 1969. Senior Leaders like Morarji Desai, Athulya Ghosh, Kamarajar, S K Patil and Nijalingappa on the one side as Congress (Organisation) and Indira Gandhi, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Jagjivan Ram, C Subramaniam on the Other Side as Congress (Indira). The DMK, led by Mr.Karunanidhi took a stance to support Mrs.Indira Gandhi in certain reforms like abolition of privy purse, nationalisation of Banks.
In 1971 election, the DMK fought in alliance with Congress (Indira)and the Opposition alliance which consisted of the two Senior National Leaders, Rajaji and Kamarajar was termed as a strong alliance and was widely supported by Media to re-capture power in Tamil Nadu. However, the DMK emerged victorious with a vast majority of 183 seats out of 234. The Opposition Grand alliance could capture only 25 seats.
MGR's exit
M. G. RamachandranM. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....
(MGR) who was a popular actor and the then party treasurer had played a vital part in popularizing the party's ideologies. The political feud between MGR and the party president Karunanidhi emerged as an aftermath of the latter calling himself "Mujib
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
of Tamil Nadu". In 1972, MGR called for a boycott of the party's General Council. With the crisis falling into call for corruption probe by MGR, he was eventually suspended from the General Council. Thus emerged a new party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. The party was founded by M. G. Ramachandran and is now headed by J. Jayalalithaa. The party headquarters is in Royapettah, Chennai, and was gifted to the party in 1986 by its...
(AIADMK).
Post-MGR
In April 1974, the DMK government brought in a resolution in the House urging the Centre to accept the Rajamannar Committee recommendations on state autonomy and amend the Constitution of India to pave the way for a true federal system.In 1977, DMK lost the Assembly elections to MGR's AIADMK, and stayed out of power in the state till 1989. After MGR's death in December 1987, AIADMK split into two factions between Janaki
Janaki
Janaki is a name of the Hindu Goddess Seeta.* Janaki Ballabh Patnaik or J. B. Patnaik, is leader of Indian National Congress and a former chief minister of Orissa* Janaki Ramachandran was an Indian Tamil actress and politician...
(MGR's wife) and Jayalalithaa. DMK returned to power in 1989 State assembly elections and Karunanidhi took over as chief minister in January 1989. Subsequent to this, the LTTE "sent personal emissaries to Karunanidhi for seeking his active support in their battle against the IPKF".
Then in 1991 elections are arranged to be held for both State and Central government. In 21 May 1991 Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai in an election campaign meeting. It was later found the he has been killed by suicide bomber from LTTE, citing IPKF atrocities in Srilanka as a reason.
This led to a sympathy wave in favor of AIADMK–Congress alliance and the DMK was deprived of any seats in the Parliament. This brought about the rise of a new political rival J.Jayalalithaa for the DMK. The AIADMK won the 1991 state Assembly elections and Jayalalithaa took over as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
In the 1996 state elections, DMK came to power on strength of corruption charges against J.Jayalalithaa and the alliance with Tamil Maanila Congress
Tamil Maanila Congress
The Tamil Maanila Congress was a political party in Tamil Nadu. It was started by G K Moopanar by breaking away from the Indian National Congress protesting the decision of the party high command to form an alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. After the death of Moopanar, his...
(TMC), headed by G.K. Moopanar and supported by cine actor Rajinikanth. However, in 2001, the AIADMK, on strength of a strong alliance and the incumbency factor against DMK, came back to power in the state assembly elections.
In the 2004 parliamentary elections, DMK formed an alliance with Congress and the Pattali Makkal Katchi
Pattali Makkal Katchi
Paattali Makkal Katchi is a Tamil political party.-History:PMK was founded by Dr. S. Ramdoss and the state president is G. K. Mani. Ramdoss had earlier worked with the Vanniyar Sangham founded by him in 1980. PMK is based amongst the Most Backward Class Vanniyakula Kshatriyas community...
(PMK) and swept a grand Victory, the alliance winning all 40 seats including Pondicherry. This enabled 7 ministerial posts in the Central government and influential power to DMK.
Two years later in 2006, the same alliance won in the state assembly elections and the DMK, for the first time formed a minority government in the state with help from Congress. Mr. M Karunanidhi become the Chief Minister of the State for the fifth time. The DMK-Congress alliance was also successful in the 2009 parliamentary elections, securing a majority of the Lok Sabha seats.
Post 2009, the party was mired in a series of corruption charges linked to its telecom ministers in Parliament, including the 2G Spectrum scam
2G spectrum scam
The 2G spectrum scandal involved officials in the government of India illegally undercharging mobile telephony companies for frequency allocation licenses, which they would use to create 2G subscriptions for cell phones...
. In the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, 2011
Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, 2011
The fourteenth legislative assembly election was held on 13 April 2011 to elect members from 234 constituencies in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Results were released on 13 May 2011...
, the party lost power to the AIADMK-DMDK alliance and J.Jayalalithaa once again took over as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 2011. Fledgling party Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK), presided by cine actor Vijayakanth became the main opposition party in the state, pushing DMK to third place.
Party Symbol
The party's election symbol is the sun arising from between two mountains, called the Rising Sun.Election history
See pdf for summary. DMK's worst poll performance ever in this state was registered in 1991 and its peak in 1971.Madras State
| Year | General Election | Votes Polled | Seats Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 3rd Assembly | 3,435,633 | 50 |
| 1967 | 4th Assembly | 6,230,552 | 137 |
| Year | General Election | Votes Polled | Seats Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 3rd Lok Sabha | 2,315,610 | 7 |
| 1967 | 4th Lok Sabha | 5,524,514 | 25 |
Tamil Nadu
| Year | Election | Votes Polled | Seats Won | Alliance(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 5th Assembly | 7,654,935 | 184 | INC(I)/CPI Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925... /AIFB All India Forward Bloc The All India Forward Bloc is a leftwing nationalist political party in India. It emerged as a faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose. The party re-established as an independent political party after the independence of India... /PSP Praja Socialist Party The Praja Socialist Party was an Indian political party in existence from 1952 to 1972. It was founded when the Socialist Party, led by Jayprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Deva and Basawon Singh , merged with the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party led by J.B. Kripalani... /IUML Indian Union Muslim League Indian Union Muslim League is a state political party in the state of Kerala, India. The chief support base of the party falls inside northern and central Kerala... |
| 1977 | 6th Assembly | 4,258,771 | 48 | None |
| 1980 | 7th Assembly | 4,164,389 | 37 | INC(I) |
| 1984 | 8th Assembly | 6,362,770 | 24 | CPI Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925... /CPM Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of... ]/JP Janata Party The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress... |
| 1989 | 9th Assembly | 8,001,222 | 150 | None |
| 1991 | 10th Assembly | 5,535,668 | 2 | TMK Thayga Marumalarchi Kazhagam Thayaga Marumalarchi Kazhagam, was a political party in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu launched by Tamil film maker T. Rajendar in 1991. The party was formed as a split from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam . In 1996, after Vaiko's departure from the DMK and the formation of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra... /CPI Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925... /CPM Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of... ]/JD Janata Dal Janata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P... |
| 1996 | 11th Assembly | 11,423,380 | 173 | TMC Tamil Maanila Congress The Tamil Maanila Congress was a political party in Tamil Nadu. It was started by G K Moopanar by breaking away from the Indian National Congress protesting the decision of the party high command to form an alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. After the death of Moopanar, his... |
| 2001 | 12th Assembly | 8,669,864 | 31 | NDA National Democratic Alliance (India) The National Democratic Alliance is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India. At the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and had thirteen constituent parties. Its convenor is Sharad Yadav, and its honorary chairman is former prime minister Atal... |
| 2006 | 13th Assembly | 8,728,716 | 96 | DPA Democratic Progressive Alliance Democratic Progressive Alliance is an alliance of Indian political parties formed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 2004.-Current constituents:... (UPA United Progressive Alliance The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha... , LF Left Front The Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. After a 34-year reign in West Bengal, the Left Front was swept from power in the 2011 election... ) |
| 2011 | 14th Assembly | TBA | 23 | INC Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... /PMK Pattali Makkal Katchi Paattali Makkal Katchi is a Tamil political party.-History:PMK was founded by Dr. S. Ramdoss and the state president is G. K. Mani. Ramdoss had earlier worked with the Vanniyar Sangham founded by him in 1980. PMK is based amongst the Most Backward Class Vanniyakula Kshatriyas community... /VCK/IUML Indian Union Muslim League Indian Union Muslim League is a state political party in the state of Kerala, India. The chief support base of the party falls inside northern and central Kerala... /KMK |
| Year | Election | Votes Polled | Seats Won | Alliance(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 5th Lok Sabha | 5,622,758 | 23 | INC(I) |
| 1977 | 6th Lok Sabha | 3,323,320 | 2 | JP Janata Party The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress... |
| 1980 | 7th Lok Sabha | 4,236,537 | 16 | INC(I) |
| 1984 | 8th Lok Sabha | 5,597,507 | 2 | CPI Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925... /CPM Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of... ]/JP Janata Party The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress... /TNC |
| 1989 | 9th Lok Sabha | 7,038,849 | 0 | CPI Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925... /CPM Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of... ]/JD Janata Dal Janata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P... |
| 1991 | 10th Lok Sabha | 5,601,597 | 0 | NF National Front (India) The National Front was a coalition of political parties, led by the Janata Dal, which formed India's government between 1989 and 1990 under the leadership of N. T. Rama Rao as President and V. P. Singh as Convener. The coalition's prime minister was V. P. Singh... |
| 1996 | 11th Lok Sabha | 6,967,679 | 17 | UF United Front (India) The United Front was a coalition government of 13 political parties formed in India after the 1996 general elections. The coalition formed two governments in India between 1996 and 1998. The government was headed by two Prime Ministers from Janata Dal - H. D. Deve Gowda, and I. K. Gujral... |
| 1998 | 12th Lok Sabha | 5,140,266 | 5 | UF United Front (India) The United Front was a coalition government of 13 political parties formed in India after the 1996 general elections. The coalition formed two governments in India between 1996 and 1998. The government was headed by two Prime Ministers from Janata Dal - H. D. Deve Gowda, and I. K. Gujral... |
| 1999 | 13th Lok Sabha | 6,298,832 | 12 | NDA National Democratic Alliance (India) The National Democratic Alliance is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India. At the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and had thirteen constituent parties. Its convenor is Sharad Yadav, and its honorary chairman is former prime minister Atal... |
| 2004 | 14th Lok Sabha | 7,064,393 | 16 | DPA Democratic Progressive Alliance Democratic Progressive Alliance is an alliance of Indian political parties formed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 2004.-Current constituents:... (UPA United Progressive Alliance The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha... , LF Left Front The Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. After a 34-year reign in West Bengal, the Left Front was swept from power in the 2011 election... ) |
| 2009 | 15th Lok Sabha | 7,625,397 | 18 | UPA United Progressive Alliance The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha... |
Pondicherry
| Year | Election | Votes Polled | Seats Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 3rd Assembly | 47,823 | 2 |
| 1977 | 4th Assembly | 30,441 | 3 |
| 1980 | 5th Assembly | 68,030 | 14 |
| 1985 | 6th Assembly | 87,754 | 5 |
| 1990 | 7th Assembly | 101,127 | 9 |
| 1991 | 8th Assembly | 96,607 | 4 |
| 1996 | 9th Assembly | 105,392 | 7 |
| 2001 | 10th Assembly | 83,679 | 7 |
| 2006 | 11th Assembly | 7 |
| Year | Election | Votes Polled | Seats Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 8th Lok Sabha | 97,672 | 0 |
| 1989 | 9th Lok Sabha | 157,250 | 0 |
| 1991 | 10th Lok Sabha | 140,313 | 0 |
| 1996 | 11th Lok Sabha | 183,702 | 0 |
| 1998 | 12th Lok Sabha | 168,122 | 1 |