Six-decade DMK-AIADMK dominance faces disruption in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: If actor-turned-politician ‘Ilayathalapathy’ Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which has emerged as the single largest party in early trends in Tamil Nadu and is within striking distance of the halfway mark, manages to sustain its lead, it could mark a watershed moment not just for the State but for Indian politics as well.

Indian politics has rarely seen a party capture power in its very first election, especially within a year of its formation.

TVK’s surge signals a potential shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, long dominated by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam over the past six decades. If trends hold, the State could be on the cusp of a historic transition.

Tamil Nadu last witnessed such a turning point in 1967, when it became the first State to elect a regional party to power, ending the dominance of the Indian National Congress. Since then, governance has alternated between the DMK and the AIADMK, a pattern that now appears set for disruption.

A victory for Vijay would be historic on multiple counts. It is rare for a party to emerge as the single largest force in its debut election.

One of the few precedents dates back to 1983 in undivided Andhra Pradesh, when matinee idol N. T. Rama Rao led the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to a sweeping victory over the Congress.

Formed in March 1982, the TDP came to power within nine months, a feat that remains one of the most remarkable in Indian political history.

Three years later, the AGP came to power in Assam in its first elections. The party, formed in October 1985, captured power in assembly elections held two months later. The Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi emerged as the second-largest party in Delhi in its very first elections in 2013.