Tiruchendur is home to the famous shore temple and has been represented by DMK leader Anitha R. Radhakrishnan for over two decades. In the 2021 Assembly elections, DMK’s Anitha R. Radhakrishnan won with 88,274 votes, defeating AIADMK’s M. Radhakrishnan by a margin of 25,263 votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, DMK’s Anitha R. Radhakrishnan secured 88,357 votes, defeating AIADMK’s R. Sarathkumar by 26,001 votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections, DMK’s Anitha R. Radhakrishnan won with 68,741 votes, narrowly defeating AIADMK’s P. R. Manoharan by 640 votes. Since the 1977 Assembly elections, the constituency has seen closely contested battles between the two major Dravidian parties, with the AIADMK winning six times and the DMK five times. 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.
