Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam
AbbreviationDMDK
General SecretaryPremalatha Vijayakant
TreasurerPremalatha Vijayakant
FounderVijayakant
Founded14 September 2005 (2005-09-14)
Headquarters125/7, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai,
Koyambedu, Chennai – 600107, Tamil Nadu, India.
Student wingDMDK Student Wing
Youth wingDMDK Youth Wing
Women's wingDMDK Women's Wing
Labour wingDesiya Murpokku Union Federation
Ideology
Colours  Yellow
ECI StatusState party[1]
Seats in Lok Sabha
0 / 543
Seats in Rajya Sabha
0 / 245
Seats in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
0 / 234
Number of states and union territories in government
0 / 31
Election symbol
Nagara
Website
www.dmdkparty.com

The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (transl. National Progressive Dravidian Federation; abbr. DMDK) is an Indian regional political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Vijayakant (Captain) at Madurai on 14 September 2005. The party was led by its founder until 14 December 2023 from its date of founding. From 14 December 2023, the DMDK is led by Vijayakant's wife Premalatha Vijayakant as general secretary of the party. The party served as the main opposition party in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 27 May 2011 to 21 February 2016. The headquarters of the party is located at Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Koyambedu, Chennai.

Policies

  • "Save Mother Tamil and Learn All Languages" is the policy statement of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam.
  • Our aim is to strive to create a state where there are no people below the poverty line by maintaining purity, currency, and humanity in politics.
  • First, stop the bribery and corruption that is stopping the progress and development of Tamil Nadu and the bitterness, dishonesty, and selfishness that have spread in politics and eradicate them in the future.
  • To create a state where all our religions agree by completely eradicating those who instigate terrorism, those who support terrorism, and all terrorism from the country.
  • To resolve river water issues with neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry and develop friendly relations, laying the groundwork for connecting rivers with the goal of using water wasted in the respective states to Tamil Nadu.
  • In order to improve the quality of education in Tamil Nadu without changing its ancient history and culture, practical education should be in line with modern times and practices, emphasising vocational education, providing quality education to Tamil Nadu, and transforming students' futures.
  • Making Tamil Nadu India's first employment-generating state.
  • Establishing mechanisms for fair pricing of agricultural produce to protect the interests of farmers
  • To modernise the weaving industry, protect the dying industry, and devise new schemes to protect the welfare of the weavers and strive for the development of the weaving industry.
  • We strive to treat women with the same dignity and respect as men. We will make Tamil Nadu bright by taking love, virtue, and power as our ambitious motto.

History

Vijayakant era (2005–23)

Dr. Vijayakant
Founder of the party

The party was founded on 14 September 2005, as Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) by the former leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Vijayakant (Captain), a veteran Tamil film star and popular politician. He assumed the responsibility of the founder-president of the party. Ramu Vasanthan, who was the state president of the fans' forum, took charge as the general secretary of the party. On 17 July 2009, he died of a cardiac arrest. In 2014, the party's founder-president, Vijayakant, took over the position that had previously been vacant.

In the 2006 assembly elections, the party contested all 234 seats without an alliance and bagged only one seat with 8.38% of the vote, that of its founder-president Vijayakant from Vriddhachalam constituency, who served as a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Other candidates of this party who contested in other constituencies in this election failed.

In the 2009 general elections, it contested 40 seats—39 in Tamil Nadu and 1 in Puducherry—without an alliance and lost in all the constituencies with 0.75% of the vote.[2]

Following widespread corruption, a price rise, a power cut, and allegations of nepotism against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, in the 2011 assembly elections, the party, in alliance with parties like the left and former chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK),[3] swept the polls, winning 202 seats, with the DMDK winning 29 out of 40 which it contested, and got the opposition status in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by making it a second largest party in the legislative assembly next only to its ally AIADMK pushing DMK to third position and Vijayakant recognized as the leader of the opposition in the assembly, becoming the first actor to become the leader of the opposition in a state's legislative assembly in India. The large victory also earned recognition and a permanent election symbol from the Election Commission of India.[4] Vijayakant stepped down as leader of the opposition on 21 February 2016, after eight DMDK party MLAs resigned.[5]

The party's performance began to deteriorate after the 2014 general elections; it fought the Lok Sabha election in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).[6] Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi, and Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi and Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi's Social Democratic Alliance are the other allies of the National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu. In the NDA alliance, this party has the highest number of seats, which are 14 in number. Despite the big hype, the party lost all 14 seats to AIADMK candidates. But this is the first time in 52 years that the DMK alliance was pushed to third place by the number of seats, and this election has given confidence to most parties that the future of Tamil Nadu lies in a coalition government.

The DMDK decided to run alongside the People's Welfare Front (PWA) in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, as part of the "Captain Vijayakant Alliance,"[7] which included the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Vaiko's Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Thol. Thirumavalavan's Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. The DMDK performed poorly in the election, not winning even a single constituency and losing deposits in the majority of its seats. It also witnessed a vote swing of -5.49% from the 2011 assembly elections.

DMDK poster in Thanjavur

In the 2019 general elections, after several rounds of talks with different political parties, The move comes after the DMDK’s attempts to make an alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which has already entered into a pre-poll alliance with the Congress and several others, failed. DMDK contested with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu for the 17th Lok Sabha polls, along with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), and some unrecognized parties. Vijayakant wants to prove his vote bank strength in this election, but the party was humiliated and lost all four that it contested out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), a DMK-led alliance consisting of all the major opposition parties in the state, swept the election by winning 38 seats.

In the 2021 assembly elections, the DMDK, which had the support of the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam, Social Democratic Party of India, and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, lost 60 seats contested and saw a vote percentage swing of -1.96% compared to previous assembly elections. After the election, the DMK emerged as the ruling party, and the AIADMK emerged as the main party of the opposition in the assembly.

On 26 December 2023, Vijayakant was admitted to MIOT International Hospital, Chennai, due to pneumonia. After a prolonged illness, he died after testing positive for COVID on 28 December 2023.

Premalatha Vijayakant era (2023–present)

Tmt. Premalatha Vijayakant
General Secretary of the party

On 14 December 2023, the former leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Vijayakant, announced and appointed Premalatha Vijayakant as the general secretary of the party in the presence of the party's deputy secretaries at the General Council Meeting held in Chennai.[8] After the demise of Vijayakant on 28 December 2023, the party was completely led by his wife Premalatha as general secretary of the party.

Electoral performance

Indian general elections

Lok Sabha Elections
Year Lok Sabha Party leader Seats contested Seats won Change in seats Percentage of votes Vote swing Popular vote Outcome
2009 15th Vijayakant 40 Steady 0.75% Steady 3,126,117 Lost
2014 16th 14 Steady 0.38% Decrease 0.37% 2,078,843
2019 17th 4 Steady 0.15% Decrease 0.23% 929,590
2024 18th Premalatha Vijayakant TBD

State legislative assembly elections

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Elections[9]
Year Assembly Party leader Seats contested Seats won Change in seats Percentage of votes Vote swing Popular vote Outcome
2006 13th Vijayakant 234 Increase 1 8.38% Steady 2,764,223 Others
2011 14th 41 Increase 28 7.88% Decrease 0.50% 2,903,828 Opposition
2016 15th 104 Decrease 28 2.39% Decrease 5.49% 1,034,384 Lost
2021 16th 60 Steady 0.43% Decrease 1.96% 200,157
Puducherry Legislative Assembly Elections[10]
Year Assembly Party leader Seats contested Seats won Change in seats Percentage of votes Vote swing Popular vote Outcome
2006 12th Vijayakant 24 Steady 2.73% Steady 15,405 Lost
2011 13th 1 Steady 0.85% Decrease 1.88% 5,966
2016 14th 6 Steady 0.11% Decrease 0.74% 850
2021 15th 26 Steady 0.30% Increase 0.19% 2,524
National Capital Territory of Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections[11]
Year Assembly Party leader Seats contested Seats won Change in seats Percentage of votes Vote swing Popular vote Outcome
2013 5th Vijayakant 11 Steady 0.03% Steady 2,285 Lost

Current office bearers and prominent members

Member Position in government Party position
Premalatha Vijayakant Steady General Secretary and Treasurer
V. Elangovan Steady Presidium Chairman
Alagaapuram R. Mohanraj Propaganda Secretary
L. K. Sudhish Steady Deputy Secretary
B. Parthasarathy Deputy Secretary
A. S. Akbar Steady Deputy Secretary

List of party leaders

Presidents

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term in office
Assumed office Left office Time in office
1 Vijayakant
(1952–2023)		 14 September 2005 28 December 2023 18 years, 105 days

General Secretaries

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term in office
Assumed office Left office Time in office
1 S. Ramu Vasanthan
(1955–2009)		 14 September 2005 17 July 2009 3 years, 306 days
2 Vijayakant
(1952–2023)		 1 June 2014 14 December 2023 9 years, 196 days
3 Premalatha Vijayakant
(1969–)		 14 December 2023 Incumbent 33 days

Legislative leaders

List of leaders of the opposition

Leaders of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term in office Assembly
(Election)		 Constituency
Assumed office Left office Time in office
1 Vijayakant
(1952–2023)		 27 May 2011 21 February 2016 4 years, 270 days 14th
(2011)		 Rishivandiyam

List of deputy leaders of the opposition

Deputy Leaders of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term in office Assembly
(Election)		 Constituency Leader of the Opposition
Assumed office Left office Time in office
1 Panruti S. Ramachandran
(1937–)		 27 May 2011 10 December 2013 2 years, 197 days 14th
(2011)		 Alandur Vijayakant

See also

References

  1. ↑ "List of Political Parties and Election Symbols main Notification Dated 18.01.2013" (PDF). India: Election Commission of India. 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "DMDK improves poll showing". The times of India Chennai edition. 18 May 2009. p. 3.
  3. ↑ "Vijayakant's party to join hands with AIADMK to 'oust DMK'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 February 2011. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  4. ↑ "தே.மு.தி.க.,வுக்கு தேர்தல் கமிஷன் அங்கீகாரம்: சின்னத்தை இழக்கிறது பா.ம.க." Dinamalar. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "Vijaykant loses Opposition leader post; after 8 rebel MLAs resign". Register India. India. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Confirmed: DMDK-BJP form alliance in Tamil Nadu for LS polls". www.oneindia.com. 26 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "TN polls: Joining the Third Front, Captain Vijayakant worries DMK and AIADMK". 23 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Premalatha Vijayakant elected as DMDK general secretary". The Hindu. 28 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Tamil Nadu Assembly Election Results". Election Commission of India. September 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Puducherry Assembly Election Results". Election Commission of India. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Delhi Assembly Election Results". Election Commission of India. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
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