The eleventh legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held on 2 May 1996. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led front won the election and its leader M. Karunanidhi, became the chief minister. This was his fourth term in office. S. Balakrishnan also known as So. Balakrishnan of Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), became the Leader of the Opposition.[1] The incumbent All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government was defeated in a landslide manner with its general secretary and outgoing chief minister J. Jayalalithaa losing the election from the Bargur constituency. She became the first Incumbent Chief Minister since M. Bakthavatsalam in 1967 to lose her own constituency.
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All 234 seats in the Legislature of Tamil Nadu 118 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 66.95%
( 3.11%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 1996 election map (by constituencies) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
editAnti-Jayalalithaa
editThe J. Jayalalithaa led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government, which had been in power since 1991 was beset with corruption scandals and public discontent. A series of corruption scandals, a growing reputation for high handedness and an extravagant public wedding for Jayalalithaa's foster son Sudhakaran all combined to erode the AIADMK support base and the goodwill she had enjoyed with the electorate in the 1991 elections.[2][3][4]
Formation of TMC
editThe AIADMK's alliance with Indian National Congress (INC), which had helped it to win the 1991 elections ran into trouble midway through the AIADMK's term. J. Jayalalithaa terminated the alliance and Congress served as the principal opposition party in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. When the 1996 elections drew closer, it was expected that the Congress would contest the elections in alliance with the DMK. However against the wishes of the Tamil Nadu state unit of the Congress, the national congress leader (and then Indian prime minister) P. V. Narasimha Rao announced that the Congress would ally with the AIADMK. This led to a split in the Tamil Nadu Congress with a majority of the party workers and cadre forming the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) led by G. K. Moopanar. The TMC contested the elections in alliance with the DMK.[5][6]
Formation of MDMK
editIn 1993, the DMK suffered a split when one of its more prominent second rung leaders, Vaiko was expelled from the party membership. The next year Vaiko floated a new party – the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK).[7][8]
Coalitions
editThere were four main coalitions in the 1996 elections. The DMK-TMC front which also included the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the AIADMK-Congress front were the main political groupings in the state. Both fronts had a number of smaller parties as constituents. The Indian National League and the All India Forward Bloc were part of the DMK front, while the AIADMK front also had Muslim Leagues, Forward Block, All India Republic Party, Uzhavar Uzhaippalar Katchi and United Communist Party. Apart from these two fronts, there was a MDMK led coalition which included the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), the Janata Dal (JD) and the Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP). The alliance between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and All India Indira Congress (Tiwari) (Tiwari Congress) led by Vazhappady Ramamurthy was the fourth coalition that contested the elections. Initially, before the TMC was formed, the DMK put together a seven party alliance comprising itself, PMK, CPI, Tiwari Congress and a few other parties. However, this alliance fell through when the Tiwari Congress and PMK left the front after differences between Karunanidhi and Ramamurthy. After this, Cho Ramaswamy (editor of Thuglak) played a vital role in bringing together the DMK-TMC coalition and obtaining actor Rajinikanth's support for it.[9][10] There were a few other smaller political formations and parties contesting the election – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested the elections alone; Subramanian Swamy's Janata Party contested in alliance with the caste organisation Devendra Kula Velalar Sangam led by Dr. K. Krishnasamy.[6][11][12][13][14]
Rajinikanth's support
editThe DMK-TMC alliance enlisted the popular Tamil film actor Rajinikanth to campaign against the AIADMK in the elections. Rajinikanth declared his support for the DMK-TMC combine and members of his numerous fan clubs campaigned for the DMK front across Tamil Nadu. In a widely watched campaign appearance broadcast in Sun TV, he declared "even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power".Rajinikanth's support gave enormous victory to DMK[15][16][17]
Seat allotments
editDMK-TMC Front
edit| No. | Party | Election Symbol | Leader | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 
|
M. Karunanidhi | 176 | |
| 2. | Tamil Maanila Congress |  |
G.K. Moopanar | 41 | |
| 3. | Communist Party of India |  |
R.Nallakannu | 13 | |
| 4. | All India Forward Bloc |  |
L. Santhanam | 1 | |
| Unrecognized party, whose candidates ran under the DMK ticket | |||||
| 5. | Indian National League | |
Janab | 5 | |
AIADMK-INC Front
edit| No. | Party | Election Symbol | Leader | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 
|
J. Jayalalithaa | 167 | |
| 2. | Indian National Congress |  |
Kumari Anandan | 64 | |
| Unrecognized party, whose candidates ran under the AIADMK ticket | |||||
| 3. | Indian Union Muslim League |
|
Kader Mohideen | 1 | |
People's Democratic Front
edit| No. | Party | Election Symbol | Leader | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 
|
Vaiko | 177 | |
| 2. | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 
|
N.Sankaraiah | 40 | |
| 3. | Janata Dal | 
|
V. P. Singh | 16 | |
PMK-Tiwari Congress Front
edit| No. | Party | Election Symbol | Leader | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pattali Makkal Katchi | 
|
Dr. Ramdoss | 116 | |
| 2. | All India Indira Congress (Tiwari) |  |
Vazhappady Ramamurthy | 46 | |
Voting and results
editPolling took place on 2 May 1996 and results were announced on 12 May. The turnout among registered voters was 66.95%. The assembly elections were held simultaneously along with the 1996 Indian general election.[18]
Results by Pre-Poll Alliance
edit
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance/Party | Seats won | Change | Popular Vote | Vote % | Adj. %‡ | ||||
| DMK+ Alliance | 221 | +214 | 14,600,748 | 53.77% | |||||
| DMK | 173 | +171 | 11,423,380 | 42.07% | 54.04% | ||||
| TMC(M) | 39 | +39 | 2,526,474 | 9.3% | 55.21% | ||||
| CPI | 8 | +7 | 575,570 | 2.12% | 42.95% | ||||
| AIFB | 1 | +1 | 75,324 | 0.28% | 76.18% | ||||
| AIADMK+ alliance | 4 | -221 | 7,354,723 | 27.08% | |||||
| AIADMK | 4 | -160 | 5,831,383 | 21.47% | 29.24% | ||||
| INC | 0 | -60 | 1,523,340 | 5.61% | 21.09% | ||||
| MDMK+ alliance | 2 | 0 | 2,143,141 | 7.89% | |||||
| MDMK | 0 | 0 | 1,569,168 | 5.78% | 7.6% | ||||
| CPI(M) | 1 | 0 | 456,712 | 1.68% | 9.57% | ||||
| JD | 1 | 0 | 117,801 | 0.43% | 7.31% | ||||
| PMK+ Alliance | 4 | +3 | 1,252,275 | 4.61% | |||||
| PMK | 4 | +3 | 1,042,333 | 3.84% | 7.61% | ||||
| AIIC(T) | 0 | 0 | 209,942 | 0.77% | 4.23% | ||||
| Others | 3 | +1 | 1,662,926 | 6.12% | |||||
| BJP | 1 | +1 | 490,453 | 1.81% | 2.93% | ||||
| JP | 1 | +1 | 150,134 | 0.55% | 2.51% | ||||
| IND | 1 | 0 | 1,022,339 | 3.76% | 3.8% | ||||
| Total | 234 | – | 27,154,721 | 100% | |||||
Constituency results
editList of winners and runners-up by constituency
edit| * | Elected as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu |
Impact
editAIADMK suffered a rout in the elections. Most of sitting ministers of the AIADMK government, including the chief minister Jayalalithaa lost their seats. Jayalalithaa lost to DMK's E. G. Sugavanam by a margin of 8,366 votes in the Bargur constituency. A year after the election, the AIADMK split, when a faction led by the Arantaki MLA Su. Thirunavukkarasar broke away from the party. The MDMK which was contesting its first statewide elections since its formation in 1994 drew a blank. MDMK leader Vaiko was defeated in both the Vilathikulam Assembly constituency and the Sivakasi parliamentary constituency. This election also saw the PMK electing four members to the assembly. The massive victory of the DMK-TMC-CPI combine in the assembly elections spilled over to the parliamentary elections. The coalition was able to win all 39 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone parliamentary seat in the nearby Pondicherry. This tally of 40 seats enabled the DMK-TMC combine to be part of the United Front government during 1996–98.[2][12][13][19]
Cabinet
edit| S.no | Name | Designation | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Minister | ||||
| 1. | M. Karunanidhi | Chief Minister | DMK | |
| Cabinet Ministers | ||||
| 2. | K. Anbazhagan | Minister for Education | DMK | |
| 3. | Arcot N. Veerasamy | Minister for Health and Electricity | ||
| 4. | Nanjil K. MANOHARAN | Minister for Revenue | ||
| 5. | Ko. Si. Mani | Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration | ||
| 6. | Veerapandi S. Arurmugam | Minister for Agriculture | ||
| 7. | Duraimurugan | Minister for Public Works | ||
| 8. | K. Ponmudy | Minister for Transport | ||
| 9. | Dr M.Tamizhkudimagan | Minister for Tamil Language & Culture | ||
| 10. | K.N. Nehru | Minister for Food, PDS and Co-operation | ||
| 11. | K. Sundaram | Minister for Milk | ||
| 12. | A. Rahman Khan | Minister for Labour | ||
| 13. | Aladi Aruna | Minister for Law | ||
| 14. | V. Thangapandian | Minister for Co-operation | ||
| 15. | N.K.K.Periyasamy | Minister for Handlooms | ||
| 16 | M.R.K. Panneerselvam | Minister for Backward Classes | ||
| 17. | Pongalur N. Palanisamy | Minister for Animal Husbandry | ||
| 18. | K. Pitchandi | Minister for Housing | ||
| 19. | I. Periasamy | Minister for Rural Industries and Registration | ||
| 20. | V.Mullaivendan | Minister for Information | ||
| 21. | Pulavar Senguttuvan | Minister for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments | ||
| 22. | S.P. Sarkuna Pandian | Minister for Social Welfare | ||
| 23. | Samayanallur S. Selvarasu | Minister for Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare | ||
| 24. | N. Suresh Rajan | Minister for Tourism | ||
| 25. | Andhiyur P. Selvarasu | Minister for Khadi & Printing | ||
| 26. | S. Jennifer Chandran | Minister for Fisheries | ||
| After the death of the minister Thiru V.Thangapandian there is a Inclusion of Thiru Pasumpon Tha Kirittinan as Minister for Highways and seniority changes done he is placed in No 9 in ministers list and the cabinet re-designated several changes shuffling done.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b Bhagat, Rasheeda (4 April 2001). "Advantage Jayalalitha?". Business Line. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Panneerselvan, A. S. (28 May 2001). "JJ & Her Technicolor Cape". Outlook. Archived from the original on 21 October 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Ram, Arun. (25 June 2001). "Fostering Ill-will". India Today. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Subramanian, T. S. (15 September 2001). "Crusading Congressman". Frontline. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ a b Palanithurai, Ganapathy (1998). Perception of grass root democracy and political performance. M.D. Publications. pp. 169–180. ISBN 978-81-7533-068-9. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ Subramanian, T. S. (14 August 1999). "Hurdles in Tamil Nadu". Frontline. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Menon, Jaya (17 March 2007). "Vaiko's MDMK formally snaps ties with UPA". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ ""Nenjukku Neethi" resumes". The Hindu. 5 May 2008. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ Anand, S. (15 April 2002). "A Dash Of Saffron In His Broth". Outlook. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Vimalkumar, R. (19 April 2006). "It remains backward despite having scope". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 May 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ a b Vinoj Kumar, P. C (18 January 2010). "Will Wit's Warhorse Win ?". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ a b Dorairaj, S (7 April 2009). "Can PMK convert support base into votes in TN?". Business Line. Archived from the original on 12 April 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Subramanian, T. S. (21 March 1998). "Messages from the States". Frontline. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Ethiraj, Gopal (14 December 2009). "Sunday Celebrity: Rajini is simple, stylish, spiritual, that explains his uniqueness". Asian Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Anand, S. (26 August 2002). "Bhagwan Rajni". Outlook. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Panneerselvan, A. S. (8 May 1996). "Fanning Voter Passions". Outlook. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Election Commission of India. "1996 Election Statistical Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
- ^ Panneerselvan, A. S. (4 June 1997). "MGR's Foot-Soldiers". Outlook. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2010.