Tamil Nadu polls: OBC communities get more seats, Brahmins left out

CHENNAI: In a notable development in Tamil Nadu politics, none of the major political parties has included candidates from the Brahmin community in their latest candidate lists. While some argue that this may be coincidental, it is evident that caste equations have played a role in candidate selection.

For the first time in 35 years, major parties such as DMK, AIADMK, Congress and BJP have completely excluded Brahmin candidates. In recent years, Brahmin representation had already been declining in the candidate lists of mainstream political parties. This time, more preference has been given to OBC communities such as Thevar, Vanniyar, Gounder, Naidu, Nadar, and Vellalar. The change is significant in a state where J Jayalalithaa, who belonged to the Iyengar Brahmin community, once served as Chief Minister.

According to the latest population data, Brahmins make up only about 3% of Tamil Nadu’s population. However, many leaders from the community have held ministerial positions in the past. During Jayalalithaa’s tenure, several Brahmin candidates were included in AIADMK’s lists, but in the last election, it was reduced to just one.

Despite receiving support from sections of the Brahmin community, the BJP has also not included any Brahmin candidates this time. Leaders like K. T. Raghavan and H. Raja were considered but eventually left out.

Smaller parties field Brahmin candidates
However, smaller parties have given representation to the community. Naam Tamilar Katchi(NTK) has fielded six Brahmin candidates. These include V. Anusha (T Nagar, Chennai), R.L. Arun (Mylapore), Vidya (Saidapet), Revathi (Maduravoyal), Mahalakshmi (Alandur), and Kashiraman (Mayiladuthurai). Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has fielded Venkittaramanan in Mylapore and Ramesh in Srirangam.