Chennai: In southern Tamil Nadu, the place caste and politics combine like salt and water, this yr’s Thevar Guru Pooja at Pasumpon wasn’t nearly reverence, it was a present of energy. With each Dravidian majors invoking Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar’s legacy, the annual ritual has come to be referred to as a litmus take a look at of who can command the southern vote financial institution which will very properly determine the end result of the meeting elections subsequent yr.

With main gamers rallying to Pasumpon yearly, political analysts see it as a determined try to woo the Mukkulathor (an umbrella time period used to check with Kallars, Maravars and Agamudaiyar) voters. “The South has stopped being a assure for any get together. After the dying of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and the next divisions within the get together unit, the southern area has develop into a aggressive place for political events, and whoever is ready to acquire the help of the Thevars amongst different communities will have the ability to acquire. (That) is what it has proved all alongside,” political analyst N. Sathiya Moorthy informed ThePrint.

Stalin endorsed AIADMK’s demand to award the Bharat Ratna to Thevar. He additionally declared {that a} marriage ceremony corridor could be constructed at a value of Rs 3 crore in Thevar’s identify at Pasumpon. “Thevar Ayya’s beliefs of equality and self-respect are values that transcend communities. His braveness belongs to all Tamils,” the DMK chief mentioned.

A number of hours earlier, EPS stood at the exact same website, urging ally BJP to recognise Thevar’s contribution to India’s freedom motion. “He was a nationalist and a social reformer whose beliefs impressed generations. He deserves the very best civilian honour,” EPS mentioned.

In line with political analyst Professor Arun Kumar, this yr’s Thevar Jayanthi was not only a day of homage, however a prelude to the 2026 meeting elections. “Each events perceive that the Thevar-dominated southern belt together with Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari is essential for a easy majority. Therefore, getting the help of individuals within the southern districts is essential for each political events to have an edge within the meeting election.”

Collectively, all 10 districts in southern Tamil Nadu account for 58 meeting seats. Within the 2021 elections, DMK received 40 and AIADMK the remaining 18 seats—a reversal of fortunes since 2016, when AIADMK received 33 seats, and DMK 25 within the southern area.

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Battle for the south

Thevar Jayanti, held yearly at Pasumpon, has developed from a group gathering right into a political spectacle. Over time, leaders from throughout the spectrum, from the DMK and AIADMK to the BJP and the Congress, have all lined as much as pay homage.

In line with analysts, for AIADMK, erosion of the Thevar vote base has been symbolic.

“The Thevar group, which types a big share of the voters in these districts, had lengthy recognized with the get together because the days of M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. The AIADMK’s conventional energy got here from the south as a result of the Thevar identification was deeply linked to MGR’s populism and Jayalalithaa’s management,” mentioned N. Sathiya Moorthy.

The choice to mark Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar Jayanthi as a authorities occasion was taken throughout MGR’s tenure in 1979. It helped AIADMK solidify help amongst Thevars.

Later, in 2014, then AIADMK supremo and chief minister J. Jayalalithaa offered a 13-kg gold kavasam (armour) to Thevar’s statue at Pasumpon.

DMK, alternatively, has been making an attempt to drag the Thevar group to its aspect for many years. The outcomes had been evident in 2021 meeting elections, in addition to within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu received all southern seats.

“DMK’s outreach to the Thevar group yr after yr reinforces that the group’s affect stays pivotal throughout southern Tamil Nadu,” mentioned Professor Arun Kumar.

He, nonetheless, additionally added that the Thevar group alone doesn’t determine electoral outcomes. “Thevars alone might not determine an election, however their alignment determines whether or not southern Tamil Nadu leans Dravidian Left or not. That’s why each symbolic gesture at Pasumpon carries the burden of technique,” he mentioned.

For the AIADMK, the problem lies in reasserting its caste identification base, whereas additionally showing inclusive. EPS, himself from the western Gounder group, has tried to beat perceptions of imbalance by giving prominence to his get together’s former ministers from the Thevar group, R.B. Udhayakumar and Sellur Raju.

Nevertheless, the get together’s breakaway leaders O. Panneerselvam and AMMK chief T.T.V. Dhinakaran, each from the Thevar group, are complicating the duty.

“Regardless that EPS is making an attempt onerous with a requirement to call Madurai Airport after Muthuramalinga Thevar and a requirement to confer Bharat Ratna, individuals are not taking a look at him as a Mukkulathor chief. For lengthy, OPS and TTV had been seen because the Mukkulathor face of AIADMK and it will be onerous for EPS to show this,” Sathiya Moorthy mentioned.

Then again, though DMK has managed to win a substantial variety of seats in 2021 in comparison with 2016, open outreach to Thevars shouldn’t be with out danger for the get together.

“The DMK’s symbolic embrace of Thevar legacy may alienate a few of its Dalit supporters in southern districts. Balancing social justice with identification lodging could be troublesome when elections are close to,” Arun Kumar mentioned.

Why Thevars matter

The Mukkulathor—a cluster of Kallar, Maravars and Agamudaiyars—additionally known as Thevar group, are roughly estimated to be round 6-8 % of the state’s inhabitants. Nevertheless, they’re largely concentrated in central and southern Tamil Nadu.

The group has been considered as a big vote block within the southern belt. Nevertheless, political analyst and former head of Tamil division at Manonmaniam Sundaranar College A. Ramasamy says the Thevars won’t at all times determine election outcomes since their numerical share is probably not a majority in any of the constituencies.

“However, their alignment and the way they symbolically mobilise in direction of one get together, is extensively seen to affect which of the primary Dravidian events features the higher hand within the area. It’s not only for Thevar, it’s common for any group. No single group can guarantee a win in any of the constituencies within the state, however their allegiance offers a perspective shift.”

In line with Ramasamy, “Though their training and financial situations are negligible, they personal a big quantity of land within the southern area and (it permits them to) dominate different landless castes within the area.” Traditionally, the Thevars had been concerned in rural management, agriculture, and native energy networks. Within the southern area there has additionally been a big presence of different backward castes together with Nadars, Vellalars, Naickers, and Scheduled Castes together with Paraiyars and Devendra Kula Velalars.

Of the numerous backward castes within the south, Thevars take pleasure in extra political energy in comparison with others. Additionally it is evident from the truth that in a 35-member cupboard, 5 ministers are from the Thevar group, whereas three are from the Nadar group.

Mukkulathor Pulipadai get together chief Karunas mentioned the AIADMK, put up Jayalalithaa, misplaced the help of the Mukkulathor and members of the group now belief solely DMK. Karunas was earlier a part of the AIADMK-led alliance since 2016, however sided with DMK in 2021.

“Proper from management points to eradicating the Mukkulathor leaders from the get together, the whole lot is seen as going in opposition to the group and political leaders belonging to the group. So, for now, we’re strongly supporting DMK,” Karunas informed ThePrint.

However political commentator Raveendran Duraisamy cautions that the Thevar vote is not any extra concentrated with anyone get together. “It’s true that the AIADMK has misplaced its help from the Thevar group, however it has not misplaced help fully. The help of the group is now scattered amongst all of the events together with DMK, AIADMK and BJP. So, nobody get together can declare to have their help till we see the 2026 meeting election outcomes.”

(Edited by Viny Mishra)

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