With the 2026 Assembly elections rapidly approaching, let us understand, from the ground reality, what the people of Tirupattur district are demanding and what their current mindset is.
Published Jan 09, 2026 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 09, 2026 | 9:00 AM
Tirupattur.
Synopsis: Formed in 2019, Tirupattur district in Tamil Nadu comprises four Assembly constituencies. However, even six years after its formation, the people of Tirupattur district continue to struggle for basic amenities. It is evident that in the upcoming 2026 elections, alongside the AIADMK and the DMK, TVK is also likely to make a significant impact.
When Tirupattur district was formed after the trifurcation of Vellore district as Tamil Nadu’s 35th district on 28 November 2019, the residents hoped that, with official recognition as a district, they would finally have access to all basic facilities.
However, even six years after its formation, the people of Tirupattur district continue to struggle, as there is not even an adequate railway overbridge connecting Tirupattur town with its surrounding villages.
Surrounded by two hill ranges — the Javvadhu Hills and the Yelagiri Hills — Tirupattur district is regarded as one of the most important regions in Asia for sandalwood cultivation and is widely known as the “Sandalwood City.” However, residents said that this historic legacy has gradually faded over the years, with little visible effort to preserve or revive it.
Although Tirupattur was formed as a district as early as 1790 and later became the headquarters of the newly created Salem district in the 1790s, residents said that even after being reconstituted as a new district, it remains questionable whether Tirupattur has developed any distinct or defining features of its own.
With the 2026 Assembly elections rapidly approaching, let us understand, from the ground reality, what the people of Tirupattur district are demanding and what their current mindset is.
Tirupattur comprises four Assembly constituencies: Vaniyambadi, Ambur, Jolarpet, and Tirupattur. From Ambur constituency’s famous biryani to its leather industries, the district is known for several things. However, residents say that despite these, the district remains dry in terms of employment opportunities and industrial growth.
As of January 2025, the district has a total of 10,58,875 voters, including 5,44,932 women voters, 5,13,038 men voters, and 105 voters classified as ‘others’.
In terms of Parliamentary constituencies, the district falls under two Lok Sabha constituencies — Vellore and Tiruvannamalai. DM Kathir Anand of the DMK represents the Vellore Parliamentary constituency, while CN Annadurai of the DMK represents Tiruvannamalai.
In Tirupattur district, several leather tanning units, footwear manufacturing factories, and enterprises ranging from small-scale units to large corporate companies are operational. Nevertheless, the lack of significant employment opportunities and the absence of effective government-led industrial development schemes remain long-standing issues faced by the people of the district.
Despite being the district headquarters, Tirupattur town itself lacks many basic facilities, which remains one of the primary grievances of the district’s residents.
Starting from Tirupattur constituency and extending across all four constituencies of the district, let us examine the prevailing situation, assess the performance of the present government, and understand what people are thinking about the 2026 elections.
Vaniyambadi constituency, where Muslim votes are considered extremely significant, has long been a stronghold of the AIADMK. In particular, AIADMK candidates have won the last three elections. The previous winner, Nilofer Kafil, also served as a minister in J Jayalalithaa’s cabinet.
With 1,32,666 women voters, 1,27,702 men voters, and 60 other voters — totalling 2,60,428 voters — Vaniyambadi constituency is currently represented by AIADMK legislator G Senthilkumar.
Socially, this constituency has a large Vanniyar population, followed by Dalits and Muslims. Muslims are densely concentrated in Vaniyambadi town, while other communities are spread across the constituency.
The primary livelihoods in this constituency are leather tanning industries, along with agriculture to a significant extent.
Although Muslim votes in Vaniyambadi town are believed to lean towards the DMK alliance, it is said that the broadly distributed votes of other communities support the AIADMK. However, this time, a tough contest is expected in the constituency.
It is impossible to think of Ambur biryani without one’s mouth watering. Similar to Vaniyambadi, this constituency also has a large Muslim population. However, unlike Vaniyambadi, the DMK is a strong force here. While the AIADMK has won this constituency only once, parties such as the DMK and Congress have won multiple times.
With 1,26,935 women voters, 1,17,694 men voters, and 47 other voters — totalling 2,44,676 voters — the Ambur constituency is currently represented by DMK legislator A.C. Vilwanathan.
Socially, while Vanniyars and Dalits are spread widely across the constituency, Muslims are present in significant numbers and play a decisive role in determining electoral victories and defeats.
Leather tanning units, footwear manufacturing industries, and agriculture form the major sources of livelihood in this constituency.
Since the AIADMK and BJP are in alliance, locals say that this constituency is likely to be favourable for the DMK.
Jolarpet houses one of the most important railway junctions in Southern Railways. It functions as a crucial connecting point linking Kerala, Bengaluru, and Chennai, both by road and rail.
Notably, the railway line connecting Bengaluru was laid from Jolarpet in 1864, making it one of the oldest railway routes in Southern India.
With 1,23,258 women voters, 1,20,366 men voters, and 20 other voters — totalling 2,43,644 voters — the Jolarpet constituency is currently represented by DMK legislator K. Devaraj.
While agriculture remains the primary livelihood in this constituency, AIADMK leader KC Veeramani continues to be a strong force. In the previous election, however, he lost to the DMK by a narrow margin of just 1,091 votes.
This time, it is said that Veeramani has entered the fray and is campaigning very intensively. As a result, residents believe that the upcoming election will be a closely contested one.
Socially, Vanniyars and Dalits form the majority population in this constituency.
Although Tirupattur Assembly constituency serves as the district headquarters, residents accuse that no basic facilities have been properly implemented so far.
With 1,19,968 women voters, 1,18,052 men voters, and 28 other voters — totalling 2,38,048 voters — the Tirupattur Assembly constituency is currently represented by DMK legislator A Nallathambi.
In this constituency, the DMK and AIADMK are both strong. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) also has a considerable support base. In particular, PMK enjoys strong backing among the Vanniyar community.
This constituency includes three panchayats of the Javvadhu Hills and 32 villages within them, resulting in a significant presence of tribal communities in the area.
Tirupattur Assembly constituency can be divided into urban and rural segments. Urban areas depend on daily wage labour, trade, and small-scale leather tanning units, while rural areas rely on agricultural production such as paddy and banana cultivation.
With regard to Tirupattur Assembly constituency, the AIADMK is reportedly planning to field Dr N Tirupathi as its candidate. When asked, residents say that if Tirupathi contests, Nallathambi’s re-election would be doubtful. According to them, Tirupathi enjoys a good reputation and is also financially strong.
Therefore, Tirupattur Assembly constituency is also expected to witness a fiercely contested election.
Recently, the Union government renamed the 100-day employment scheme — earlier known as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme — as the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin).
However, when it comes to rural areas, people say that no matter how the name is changed, it is still known to them as the 100-day employment scheme. Even that scheme, they said, provides only around 40 days of work, as pointed out by Indumathi from Vaniyambadi.
Indumathi is a 50-year-old agricultural daily wage labourer who also works under the 100-day employment scheme.
“They say that funds have been cut from the Union government, and so work is given only on a rotational basis. If one ward works this week, workers from another ward get work the next week. Because of this, we struggle without getting even 40 days of work in an entire year,” she said.
According to Indumathi, the wages earned through the 100-day employment scheme are what help many rural households afford food. However, as the number of working days is being reduced gradually, people are facing severe hardships. She added that ensuring the proper implementation of the 100-day employment scheme for daily wage labourers has become an important demand.
If this is the situation for those who already have some work, then in Jolarpet Assembly constituency, around 95 percent of youngsters who completed their education have migrated elsewhere due to lack of employment, said K Venkatesan, who works in a microfinance institution.
“In Jolarpet, most educated youngsters end up working in microfinance companies. But about 95 percent of young people migrate to cities like Bengaluru and Chennai in search of jobs. Despite Jolarpet being an important transport hub, there is absolutely no large-scale industrial development here,” he pointed out.
In Ambur, the town is as famous for biryani as it is for its leather tanning units and footwear manufacturing companies.
The leather and footwear produced here are exported to several countries. This sector plays a major role in Tirupattur district’s revenue. However, the workers employed in these factories are forced to work under extremely poor conditions, often without even basic rights or proper wages.
Hussain Basha, who worked for over 10 years at a private leather company and was abruptly laid off when the factory shut down in 2023, spoke about his experience.
“In 2023, they suddenly shut down our company and expelled more than 8,000 workers. To this day, we have not been given our financial benefits. We have submitted numerous petitions, but neither the government nor the officials have taken any action,” he said.
He added that, even now, the condition of workers in the leather and footwear units operating in Ambur and Vaniyambadi constituencies is extremely poor.
“In most of these factories, workers are paid only between ₹7,000 and ₹13,000. Since many workers are employed on a contract basis, they do not receive benefits like PF or ESI,” he said, adding that only if the government provides support, such as housing schemes, will these workers be able to survive.
If this is a problem faced by workers in general, the situation of women workers is even worse, he added.
Speaking on this, Indumathi said, “Women working in footwear factories leave home at 6 am and return only in the evening, but their wages are extremely low — much lower than what male workers earn.”
The workers further explained that women workers are often not allowed to take breaks. If they do, supervisors verbally abuse them and, in some cases, sexually harass them. Because of fear of being scolded, many women are unable even to use the toilet, leading to several health issues.
As this constituency has a large number of leather and footwear factories, residents have long been demanding the establishment of a leather research and education institute here, similar to the one in Chennai.
A district headquarters is expected to have proper hospital facilities, all government offices, courts, and access to the last-mile delivery of government services.
However, even six years after Tirupattur was declared a district, most of these facilities are yet to be realised, which remains a major grievance among residents of the Tirupattur Assembly constituency.
Radhakrishnan, a leader of a farmers’ association in Tirupattur, said, “To this day, there isn’t even a proper bus stand in the district headquarters. It is also true that there is not a single factory here that can employ thousands of people.”
He, along with many others, also alleged that despite being the district’s main government hospital, it lacks adequate facilities.
“In case of any serious medical issue, patients have to be taken to hospitals in Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, or Vellore,” they said. Residents also alleged that the government hospitals in Vaniyambadi and Ambur are in extremely poor condition.
Even after being declared a district, the absence of a proper court complex remains a key demand of the residents.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a lawyer said, “Even seven years after the district was formed, a separate district court was established only two years ago, and that too in an old building. Nine courts are functioning within that same old structure, leading to severe space constraints.”
The lawyer added that while a new court complex was initially announced near a small village close to Vaniyambadi, it was opposed, after which it was announced that it would be built in Tirupattur town itself. However, no progress has been made.
Lawyers also said that since women’s courts and family courts all function from the same premises, cases continue to pile up, causing additional hardship for the public.
They further pointed out that for labour courts, mediation centres, and women’s courts, people still have to travel to the Vellore district, and establishing these facilities locally would greatly benefit the residents of the Tirupattur district.
Tirupattur district is divided into two parts by the railway line, which separates urban areas from rural ones. As a result, villagers have to cross the railway line to reach the town areas.
For people who travel daily to towns for work, school, or other reasons, railway overbridges are extremely important.
There has been a long-standing demand for railway overbridges at locations such as Tirupattur, Reddithoppu in Ambur, and near the Vaniyambadi bypass. Due to the absence of these facilities, people frequently cross railway tracks, often leading to accidents.
In several districts of northern Tamil Nadu — such as Vellore, Villupuram, and Kallakurichi — unemployment has forced many youths to migrate to cities like Chennai and Bengaluru.
Tirupattur district is no exception. Although a SIPCOT industrial estate was announced for Tirupattur, the project remains incomplete to this day.
Venkatesan said, “Government-owned sugar mills that were functioning here have already been shut down. Similarly, one or two large footwear factories have also closed. As a result, there are very few institutions that can provide employment to thousands of people collectively.”
Currently, small and medium leather tanning units and footwear factories operating across the district remain the primary sources of employment, along with agricultural wage labour.
Even this leather industry, however, is steadily declining, Venkatesan added.
With such pressing demands prevailing across the district, we examined how the major political parties are functioning. Currently, out of the four Assembly constituencies in the district, three are held by the DMK and one by the AIADMK.
For the DMK, Jolarpet MLA K Devaraj serves as the face of the party in the district, while former minister KC Veeramani plays that role for the AIADMK.
Residents said that in Vaniyambadi, the AIADMK has a strong chance of returning to power. In Jolarpet, since KC Veeramani has been actively campaigning on the ground, many believe he will not concede this time and is likely to win.
However, in Ambur, which has a large Muslim population, and in the district headquarters of Tirupattur, the DMK is expected to retain its hold. That said, in Tirupattur, the outcome may depend on whom the AIADMK fields as its candidate.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is said to have grown significantly. In particular, the defection of many former Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) members to TVK has emerged as a major strength for the party.
For instance, in Venkatesan’s village of Kurusilapattu, before Vijay launched his party, around 80 youngsters were members of NTK. After the formation of TVK, about 60 of them shifted to Vijay’s party. He said this trend can be seen across the district, with around 75 percent of the district’s youth now aligned with TVK.
In particular, members of TVK can be found in every village in the Javvadhu Hills. Many residents, including Hariraman from the Javvadhu Hills, said, “We have given opportunities to both the AIADMK and the DMK for so many years, but there has been no major change in our lives. Now, hoping for change, we are giving Vijay a chance.”
Notably, the VCK also has a strong presence across the district, which is expected to bolster the DMK-led alliance. Meanwhile, political observers said the BJP has recorded significant growth across the district.
Therefore, it is evident that in the upcoming 2026 elections, alongside the AIADMK and the DMK, TVK is also likely to make a significant impact.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
