Chennai, April 2 (IANS) With the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled for May 23, political activity across the state has intensified, setting the stage for a multi-cornered contest among the DMK-led alliance, AIADMK-led front, TVK, and Naam Tamilar Katchi. As parties accelerate campaign efforts and finalize candidates, key constituencies like Chepauk–Triplicane have come into sharp focus. In a significant development on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin became the DMK’s nominee from Chepauk–Triplicane.
The DMK, which is contesting 164 seats directly while allocating around 70 seats to its alliance partners, will effectively be present in 175 constituencies under its ‘Rising Sun’ symbol.
Chief Minister and DMK President, M.K. Stalin, had earlier released the party’s candidate list, reaffirming Udhayanidhi Stalin as the party’s nominee from Chepauk–Triplicane for a second-consecutive term.
Udhayanidhi Stalin formally filed his nomination on Thursday at his election office in Chepauk. The constituency, listed as the 19th Assembly segment in Tamil Nadu, is one of Chennai’s most politically-significant and historically-rooted regions.
Formed during the 2008 delimitation exercise by merging the erstwhile Chepauk and Triplicane constituencies, the seat encompasses several prominent landmarks including the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, the University of Madras, Parthasarathy Temple, major mosques, heritage residences, and bustling commercial hubs like Chintadripet fish market and Pudupet auto spare parts zone.
According to the final electoral rolls published on February 23 this year, Chepauk–Triplicane has a total electorate of 1,63,086 voters, comprising 79,412 men, 84,396 women, and 583 third-gender voters.
Historically, the constituency has been a DMK bastion. Party leader Rahman Khan secured three-consecutive victories in 1977, 1980, and 1984.
Although the Congress briefly captured the seat in 1991 through candidate Zeenath Sheriffuddin, the DMK regained dominance with former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi winning in 1996, 2001, and 2006. Later, J. Anbazhagan retained the seat for the party in 2011 and 2016.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Udhayanidhi Stalin made his electoral debut from this constituency, securing a decisive victory with 93,285 votes.
In the upcoming contest, he faces competition from AIADMK’s Rajaram, Naam Tamilar Katchi’s Ayesha Begum, and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s T. Selvam, making Chepauk–Triplicane a closely watched battleground despite its longstanding DMK leanings.
—IANS
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