Nagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency

Location

The constituency is at the tail end of the Cauvery delta. The area is prone to both floods and droughts. The Cauvery water crisis, affecting agriculture in the area, remains high on the agenda in Nagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency. Apart from farming, there is an oil refinery and some minor industrial units.

Demography and dynamics

Scheduled Castes constitute about 32.95% of the population in the Nagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency.

Gender demographic of Nagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency as of 20.01.2021, taken during the elections in 2021.

Assembly segments

From 2009

The Nagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency is composed of six state assembly constituencies:

Before 2009

The constituency was composed of:

1. Nannilam (SC)
2. Thiruvarur (SC)
3. Nagapattinam
4. Vedharanyam
5. Thiruthuraipoondi (SC)
6. Mannarkudi (moved to Thanjavur Constituency)

Members of Parliament

• Due to the death of S.G. Murugaiyan, a by-election was held.

Election results

General Elections 2024

General Elections 2019

General Elections 2014

General Elections 2009

General Elections 2004

General Elections 1999

General Elections 1998

General Elections 1996

General Elections 1991

General Elections 1989

General Elections 1984

General Elections 1980

[[1979 Nagapattinam by-election|By-election 1979]]

General Elections 1977

General Elections 1971

General Elections 1967

General Elections 1962

General Elections 1957

Detailed election history

Double-seat constituency

Nagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency, then in the Madras State, was constituted for the 1957 Indian general election. In the 1957 election Nagapattinam elected two parliamentarians, one general seat and one seat reserved for Scheduled Castes. CPI fielded two prominent leaders, P. Ramamurthi and A.K. Subbiah, in Nagapattinam. Nevertheless, both seats were won by Indian National Congress candidates. For the general seat K.R. Sambandam of Congress obtained 252,275 votes (49.18%), P. Ramamurthi of CPI 124,205 votes (24.21%), independent candidate K. Manoharam 78,983 votes (15.40%) and independent candidate S.M.R. Arumugan Pillai 57,507 (11.21%).

1960s

In the 1962 Indian general election Congress fielded Gopalsamy Thenkondar as its candidate in Nagapattinam. Thenkondar won the seat, obtaining 45.98% of the vote, defeating C. Kandasamy Thevar of CPI (36.74%), A.M. Mytheen Sayabu of the Muslim League (16.07%) and independent candidate Mohamed Cassim Rowther (1.21%).

After the 1964 split in the CPI, the break-away Communist Party of India (Marxist) emerged as the dominant communist faction in Nagapattinam taluk whilst CPI remained the larger party in the other taluks in the area. In 1964 CPI(M) formed the Tamil Nadu Tillers Association in Nagapattinam.

Congress had support from middle-class sectors and middle-caste farmers. The Swatantra Party had a presence in the area, based amongst Brahmin mirasdhars.

In the 1967 Indian general election three candidates contested the Nagapattinam seat. CPI fielded M. Kathamuthu and Congress fielded V. Sambasivam. CPI argued that it had withdrawn its candidate in Coimbatore but that CPI(M) had not responded well to that gesture, and thus CPI insisted on fielding a candidate of its own in Nagapattinam. Notably Nagapattinam recorded the highest voter turnout nationwide with 84.69% in the 1967 election.

1970s

In the 1971 Indian general election three candidates contested the Nagapattinam seat: the incumbent V. Sambasivan (now representing Congress(O)), M. Kathamuthu (CPI) and G. Bharatimohan (CPI(M)).

Ahead of the 1977 Indian general election CPI was allocated Nagapattinam as part of the Congress-AIADMK seat sharing alliance. For this election Nagapattinam had been identified as reserved for Scheduled Castes. There were only two candidates in the fray, S.G. Murugaiyan of CPI and Thazhai M. Karunanidhi of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. S.G. Murugaiyan won the seat, obtaining 53.95% of the vote.

In January 1979 S.G. Murugaiyan was assassinated. CPI blamed 'AIADMK goondas' for the murder. A mass protest was held in Mannargudi after the killing, CPI claimed around a 100,000 people took part in the rally. A by-election was held in Nagapattinam, which was won by fellow CPI member K. Murugaiyan (supported by DMK and CPI(M)), who defeated the AIADMK candidate M. Mahalingam (supported by Congress).

1980s

In the 1980 Indian general election two candidates contested the Nagapattinam seat: the incumbent K. Murugaiyan from CPI and Thazhai M. Karunanidhi from DMK. Thazai M. Karunanidhi won the seat, obtaining 50.98% of the votes.

The 1984 Indian general election saw K. Murugaiyan (CPI) and M. Mahalingam (AIADMK) face each other again.

Six candidates contested the Nagapattinam seat in the 1989 Indian general election, with the two main candidates being M. Selvarasu of CPI and N.S. Veeramurasu of Congress. The CPI candidate was supported by DMK whilst the Congress candidate was backed by AIADMK.

In the 1991 Indian general election four candidates contested Nagapattinam: the winning Congress candidate Padma (49.71%), the defeated CPI incumbent M. Selvarasu (45.80%), Pattali Makkal Katchi candidate U. Kasinathan (4.27%) and independent candidate K. Ambikapathi (0.23%). Padma was the second woman to be elected to the Lok Sabha from the central districts of Tamil Nadu since Independence.

In the 1996 Indian general election, local issues dominated the campaigns in Nagapattinam. Amongst the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu, Nagapattinam had the lowest number of candidates (6). M. Selvarasu of CPI regained the seat with 56.77% of the votes. The runner-up was M. Kannivannan of Congress (24.90%), followed by V. Thambusamy of CPI(M) (15.56%), S. Rajamani of the Bharatiya Janata Party (2.39%) and two independents.

In 1998 election Nagapattinam was the sole seat allocated to CPI in the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. Four candidates contested the election. M. Selvarasu of CPI retained the seat, obtaining 58.77% of the votes. K. Gopal got 38.23% of the votes, Congress candidate M. Thiagaranjan 2.48% and PT candidate G. Jeevanadam 0.52%.

CPI lost the seat in the 1999 Indian general election, by a margin of 22,466 votes. The outcome was unexpected, as the CPI historically had strong support in the area and the backing of AIADMK in this election. Nagapattinam had elected a CPI parliamentarian in 1989 and 1998, when the state-wide trend had been negative for CPI. DMK candidate A.K.S. Vijayan won the seat with 49.92% of the votes, followed by M. Selvarasu with 46.65%, PT candidate T. Nadaiyazhagan with 3.26% and independent candidate Durai Balaguru with 0.17%. A.K.S. Vijayan is the son of CPI leader A.K. Subbiah.

2000s

On 10 August 2007 the Delimitation Commission issued an order, retaining Nagapattinam as a constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes. Initial drafts for delimitation had the Nagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency abolished, but in the final decision the constituency remained. After delimitation the communist influence in Nagapattinam decreased, as the Mannargudi segment (with strong CPI and AIADMK influences) was removed from the Nagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency.

In the 2009 Indian general election Nagapattinam again had the lowest number of candidates in Tamil Nadu (7). Apart from the water crisis, two key concerns in the constituency were price rises and insufficiencies in electric power supply. A.K.S. Vijayan of DMK retained the seat with 48.48% of the votes, followed by M. Selvarasu of CPI with 42.20% and M. Muthukumar of DMDK with 6.73%.

Nine candidates contested the Nagapattinam seat in the 2014 Indian general election. Dr. K. Gopal won the seat with 46.06%, followed by 34.81% for A.K.S. Vijayan.

References

References

1. ''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/elections/loksabha2014/a-stiff-threeway-contest-in-nagapattinam/article5801944.ece A stiff three-way contest in Nagapattinam]''
2. ''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Agrarian-crisis-a-major-issue/article16592199.ece Agrarian crisis a major issue]''
3. ''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/2004/05/03/stories/2004050308040400.htm DMK versus AIADMK in Communist stronghold]{{dead link. (April 2021)
4. "Nagapattianm Voter List".
5. (25 May 2019). "General elections to the 17th Lok Sabha, 2019 - List of members elected". Election Commission of India.
6. For the Scheduled Caste seat [[M. Ayyakkannu]] of Congress obtained 216,890 votes (51.25%), A.K. Subbiah 151,704 votes (35.85%) and independent candidate V. Veeraswamy 54,597 votes (12.90%).Lok Sabha. ''[http://164.100.47.194/loksabha/writereaddata/biodata_1_12/1121.htm AYYAKKANNU, SHRI M.]''
7. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1957/Vol_I_57_LS.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1957 TO THE SECOND LOK SABHA]''
8. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1962/Vol_I_LS_62.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1962 TO THE THIRD LOK SABHA]''
9. Gabriele Dietrich. (1977). "Religion and people's organisation in east Thanjavur". Published for the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Bangalore, by the Christian Literature Society.
10. (1990). "The Administrator". Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration..
11. (15 March 1990). "Dominance and state power in modern India: decline of a social order". Oxford University Press.
12. CPI(M) had fielded the prominent [[trade union]] leader V.P. Sinthan.''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Will-the-saga-continue/article16597038.ece Will the saga continue?]''
13. M. Pattabhiram. (1967). "General election in India 1967: an exhaustive study of main political trends". Allied Publishers.
14. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1967/Vol_I_LS_67.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1967 TO THE FOURTH LOK SABHA] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-07-18 '')
15. M. Kathamuthu won the seat with 54.95% of the votes, with V. Sambasivan and G. Bharatimohan obtaining 33% and 12.05% respectively.Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1971/Vol_I_LS71.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1971 TO THE FIFTH LOK SABHA]''
16. (1978). "The Election Archives". Shiv Lal.
17. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1977/Vol_I_LS_77.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1977 TO THE SIXTH LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)] {{webarchive. link. (18 July 2014 '')
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19. (1979). "Lok Sabha Debates". Lok Sabha Secretariat..
20. (1979). "Indian Politics: Documents, Events & Figures". Avinash Reference Publications.
21. (1979). "Party Life". Communist Party of India..
22. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/ByeElection/Bye-ele-results%2052-95.xls Bye-election results 1952–95]''
23. Kathleen Gough. (June 1989). "Rural change in southeast India: 1950s to 1980s". Oxford University Press.
24. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1980/Vol_I_LS_80.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1980 TO THE SEVENTH LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)] {{webarchive. link. (18 July 2014 '')
25. link. (18 July 2014 '')
26. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1989/Vol_I_LS_89.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1989 TO THE NINTH LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)] {{webarchive. link. (18 July 2014 '')
27. M. Selvarasu won the seat with 49.32% against 46.22% for N.S. Veeramurasu. The victory in Nagapattinam was the sole successful contest for the DMK-led front in Tamil Nadu in 1989, against 38 seats won by the AIADMK-Congress combine.''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/fourtime-mla-is-cpis-choice-for-nagapattinam/article5809007.ece Four-time MLA is CPI’s choice for Nagapattinam]''
28. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1991/VOL_I_91.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1991 TO THE TENTH LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)] {{webarchive. link. (18 July 2014 '')
29. ''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Only-2-women-MPs-from-central-districts/article16611636.ece Only 2 women MPs from central districts]''
30. (April 1996). "Frontline". S. Rangarajan for Kasturi & Sons.
31. (1 January 1999). "Indian Elections: The Nineties". Har-Anand Publication.
32. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1996/Vol_I_LS_96.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1996 TO THE ELEVENTH LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)]''
33. Meenu Roy. (1999). "Elections 1998: a continuity in coalition". National Pub. House.
34. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1998/Vol_I_LS_98.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1998 TO THE 12th LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)] {{webarchive. link. (18 July 2014 '')
35. The main runner-up was Dr. [[K. Gopal (AIADMK politician)
36. Mahendra Singh Rana. (2000). "India Votes: Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha Elections 1999, 2000 : Poll Analysis, Election Data, and Party Manifestos". B.R. Publishing Corporation.
37. (1 January 2000). "Lok Sabha Elections 1999: Last of the Millennium". Shipra Publications.
38. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1999/Vol_I_LS_99.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1999 TO THE 13th LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)] {{webarchive. link. (18 July 2014 '')
39. A.K.S. Vijayan retained the seat, defeating the AIADMK candidate P.J. Archunan, [[Janata Dal (United)]] candidate S.G.M. Ramesh and eight others.Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_2004/Vol_I_LS_2004.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 2004 TO THE 14th LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)]''
40. ''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Deletion-of-seats-in-central-districts-leaves-voters-peeved/article14819880.ece Deletion of seats in central districts leaves voters peeved]''
41. Public (Elections) Department, Tamil Nadu. ''[http://www.elections.tn.gov.in/Reports/LS2009TN.pdf Elections to Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu 2009]''
42. Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2009/Stats/VOLI/25_ConstituencyWiseDetailedResult.pdf 25 – CONSTITUENCY WISE DETAILED RESULTS] {{webarchive. link. (11 August 2014 '')
43. CPI contested the Nagapattinam seat without support from neither AIADMK nor DMK for the first time since 1962. Nagapattinam the sole seat in central Tamil Nadu contested by CPI. The party nominated [[G. Palanisamy]], four-time state legislator of Thiruthuraipoondi assembly constituency. His main contenders were Dr. K. Gopal of AIADMK and A.K.S. Vijayan from DMK.Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2014/33%20-%20Constituency%20wise%20detailed%20result.pdf 33 – CONSTITUENCY WISE DETAILED RESULTS]''