Tamil Nadu polls: Know your polls

Egmore constituency houses several government offices including the Chennai corporation, city police, CMDA and Southern Railway and has been a citadel of the DMK since 1957. The locality comprises a diversified votebank including minorities and non Tamils from north India.

This seat has been a stronghold for the DMK, since the formation of the party, winning every election except the 1962 election, when the DMK veteran professor Anbazhagan lost to popular local resident Jothi Venkatachalam, by 1,617 votes.   

DMK — K.S. Ravichandran

DMK has fielded advocate K. S. Ravichandran who is new to assembly polls and is also an outsider to the Egmore constituency. The names of former deputy speaker V. P. Duraisamy and advocate Thamizhan Prasanna made rounds, but the DMK leadership chose to field Ravichandran, who has recently shifted his residence to Egmore.

Strengths: Handpicked by DMK leader M K Stalin. Banks heavily on the traditional DMK votes and enjoys a good rapport with DMK district secretary P. K. Sekar babu.

Weaknesses:  New to the constituency and party old timers rally behind AIADMK candidate Parithi Ilamvazuthi, who was earlier with DMK for more than three decades.

DMDK: T. Prabhu

DMDK has fielded Central Chennai deputy secretary T. Prabhu after the sitting party MLA K. Nallathambi who defeated local heavyweight Parithi Ilamvazuthi refused to contest again sighting poor financial situation.   

Strengths: The constituency has slum pockets and with VCK's allying with DMDK, Prabhu can consolidate minority votes. Being a youngster, he is more active in the campaign when compared with DMK and AIADMK candidates.
Weaknesses: Green horn and fails to meet the stature of AIADMK candidate Parithi. Though DMDK has cadres the party lacks the political network in Egmore, unlike DMK and AIADMK

X - Factor: It may be noted that AIADMK has never tasted success in Egmore and usually allots the seat to its allies. But this time the party is working overtime to record its maiden win