Booth-level review in Coimbatore
DMK executives in Coimbatore district held constituency-wise meetings to assess the situation across the district’s 10 Assembly segments. During the discussions, party workers said minority votes had not come to the DMK as expected, leaving the leadership worried.
Detailed assessment of voting patterns
Participants reviewed voting trends at the union, area, ward and booth levels. They also discussed the DMK’s expected vote share and assessed the strengths and weaknesses of rival parties.
Women and youth trends discussed
The meetings also examined how higher women’s turnout could influence results. Some executives said they were surprised that sections of youth and a notable share of women appeared openly opposed to the DMK, despite the government’s welfare measures for women, ranging from assistance schemes to free bus travel.
Claims of minority shift towards TVK
Some functionaries said it was already anticipated that first-time voters and many young voters could back TVK due to actor Vijay’s appeal. However, they claimed it has now emerged that a significant portion of minority voters—who traditionally supported the DMK—may also have moved towards TVK.
Coimbatore South cited as an example
As an example, they pointed to Coimbatore South, which they said has around 30,000 minority votes and where the DMK typically received about 95% of that support in past elections. This time, they claimed enquiries indicated that more than 15% of votes in key areas such as Kottamedu may have shifted to TVK, with some Muslim youth reportedly acknowledging it openly. A party worker also alleged that despite priests meeting the Chief Minister and expressing support for the DMK, many Christians did not follow those appeals on the ground. Executives said the ground reality did not appear favourable and expressed concern that they could be blamed for not working effectively.
