Tamil Naduis set to witness a high-stakes Assembly election on April 23. The contest will be a fierce battle majorly between the two political camps — one led by incumbent Chief Minister MKDravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) part of the INDIA bloc and another All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), currently led by former Chief Minister E Palanswami, part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Tamil Nadu is one of those states in India whose politics has been long driven by regional parties and intensely influenced by dravidian politics that spread through several regional communities and caste, with each one having their own preferences and leaning towards regional parties. In this part of the southern India, for any party to understand the state politics and carve in deep, its is essential to understand the dravidian politics and how caste coalition works in this region. So, ahead of the elections, lets take a look at the importance of different casts and their role in the dravidian politics.
Tamil Nadu’s caste dynamics are aligned with various political parties based on historical, social, and economic factors. A look at how different castes and communities impact political mathematics here:
Majorly, there are 13 different caste and religious communities which influence different political setups in the states. They include, Vanniyars, Thevars, Gounders, Modaliyars, Chettiar, Nairs, Naidus, Nadars, Yadavas, Vellalars, Muslims, Christians, and Dalits.
Vanniyars is an agriculture based community in Tamil Nadu that has presence in northern and central parts of the state and has a considerable say in the state politics due to their population.
Gounders is another agricultural community concentrated in the western Tamil Nadu majorly in Coimbatore, Salem, and Erode. They have a significant political influence due to their strong economic status and have a considerable political clout.
Thevars is another dominant community in Tamil Nadu, concentrated in the Southern part of the state. The community is rich in land owning and have presence in Madurai, Theni, and Ramanathapuram. They have a significant influence in the state politics.
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Modaliyars aka Mudaliars is another influential community in Tamil Nadu. These are land owners, involved in trade and administration. They have good presence in Chennai and nearby districts.
In TN’s political alignment, they have good influence in urban and semi-urban areas, due their hands in business, bureaucracy, and cultural fields.
Chettiars is a community which is involved in trade, finance, banking and philanthropy. They have a good presence in TN regions including Sivaganga, Karaikudi, and other parts of southern Tamil Nadu. Their influence in regional politics go well beyond numerical strength.
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