Tamil Nadu polls: Can newcomers shake up DMK stronghold Anna Nagar?

There’s only one more day to go for polling, and all anyone can talk about in Anna Nagar, during their morning walks around Tower Park or over tumblers of tea at Shenoy Nagar, are the constituency’s candidates and their chances.Once anchored by towering Dravidian figures, Anna Nagar constituency has a multi-cornered battle this time.The seat rose to prominence in 1977 when M Karunanidhi made it his electoral base, winning consecutive terms and cementing its status as a DMK stronghold. Arcot Veeraswami N also won the constituency three times from 19962006. The party’s streak, however, was broken in 2011 when AIADMK’s Gokula Indira captured the seat amid an anti-DMK wave.In recent cycles, DMK appears to have stabilised its position after back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2021 by M K Mohan. But, Mohan is not contesting this time. Its DMK’s dis-trict secretary N Chitrarasu instead, who seeks to defend the seat by leaning on the party’s organisational strength.On the other side, AIADMK has turned to Gokula Indira once again, a former minister and a familiar face in Anna Nagar, to reclaim the constituency by tapping into anti-incumbency sentiment.

Adding a new dimension to the raceisTVK’sVKRamkumar, whose campaign targets younger and middle-class voters. Meanwhile, NTK’s C Shankar, a lawyer and social worker, returns to the fray after building a modest but steady voter base last election.“The entry of TVK and the continued presence of NTK have added a layer of uncertainty. Smaller parties have, in recent years, have carved out pockets of support, particularly among younger voters and those disillusioned with the Dravidian majors,” says Sandhya Vedullapalli, secretary of Federation of Anna Nagar Residents Association.Ultimately, priorities remain rooted in everyday urban issues. TVK and NTK have been targeting these issue-driven voters. Resident groups have repeatedly flagged infrastructure stress. Ageing drainage and sewage systems are struggling to cope with rapid development, raising concerns about flooding and sanitation.Residents also point to pollution in the Otteri Nullah and the gradual erosion of green spaces. “Here, civic issues often take precedence over broader ideological debates, shaping voter preferences more directly,” says K Ezhilarasan, an AIADMK supporter.