Published Apr 19, 2026 | 4:25 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 19, 2026 | 4:25 PM
P Shanmugam, CPI(M)'s Tamil Nadu state secretary. (Supplied)
Synopsis: CPI(M) Tamil Nadu State Secretary P Shanmugam speaks with South First on the party’s prospects and other issues in the upcoming Assembly elections. He spoke in detail about the mood of voters, the effect of Vijay’s entry into politics and other crucial issues.
With less than a week for Tamil Nadu to cast votes in the 23 April Assembly elections, all political parties are intensively campaigning across the state. Amid the crowd of voters and busy schedules, CPI(M) Tamil Nadu State Secretary P Shanmugam sat with South First to speak on the party’s prospects and other issues.
In this interview, Shanmugam delved into the public mood across Tamil Nadu, whether public support for Vijay will affect the DMK alliance, and the background of the three bills, including the delimitation bill, which were introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Union government.
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Q: You have been campaigning across Tamil Nadu. What is the public mood on the ground?
A: In general, the secular progressive alliance (SPA) led by the DMK is strong. In the history of Tamil Nadu’s electoral politics, such a large coalition of so many parties is something unprecedented. That itself is the first point; it is a strong alliance.
Secondly, the welfare schemes implemented by the DMK over the past five years have become widely discussed and have received attention from all sections of people.
Also, DMK and its alliance parties have continuously carried out strong protests against the anti-Tamil Nadu stance of the Union government. Therefore, there is already a perception among the people that the BJP-led Union government is hostile towards Tamil Nadu.
All these factors together have created a favourable wave for this secular progressive alliance.
Q: There is a perception that more than one crore young voters in Tamil Nadu are speaking about “change” and want Vijay to come. As a senior politician, how do you view this?
A: There is an attraction towards Vijay among a section of the youth. I do not think everyone is calling for change in that sense.
It is true that a section of youth is attracted to Vijay, but they do not seem to be drawn by any ideology or by a concrete plan for change. Because Vijay has not said anything of that sort. Other than saying “oppose the DMK” and “make me the chief minister,” has he said anything else?
Without thinking about these aspects, they seem to be blindly following him. This is just an attraction; I do not see it leading to a change in government. There is no such possibility. However, he may secure a certain percentage of votes, which could end up splitting votes.
Q: Wherever Vijay goes, large crowds gather. DMK and AIADMK don’t seem to get such crowds. Will these crowds translate into votes and have an impact?
A: When people from one district or multiple districts gather at one place, what is so surprising about that? Ask him to go constituency by constituency. Will there be crowds then?
Recently, he came to Kanyakumari. Why weren’t any crowds gathering there? Only people from nearby areas came, that’s why there wasn’t a big crowd.
This kind of gathering can happen to anyone. (Chief Minister) Stalin is holding district-level meetings to introduce candidates, and crowds gather there too. If he (Vijay) goes constituency by constituency as we do, he will face the same situation.
Not everyone who gathers is coming for a change in government or to join that party. Many are simply going by saying, “A film actor has come to our town, let’s go see him.”
So there is no guarantee that all those who attend these gatherings will vote for Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. Even if such a miracle happens, we will know only on 4 May.
Q: You say the DMK alliance is strong, but in many places, there seems to be a gap between Congress candidates and the people. Will that affect your alliance?
A: I am not sure whether that is the case with Congress. DMK is a strong party, and the alliance is under its leadership. Even if there are minor negatives regarding candidates, the positives outweigh them. So I don’t think it will have any major impact.
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Q: The AIADMK is not strongly opposing the delimitation-related bills introduced by the BJP. How do you view that?
A: It cannot be said that AIADMK did nothing. Edappadi Palaniswami said that he asked Amit Shah, who assured him that Tamil Nadu would not be affected, and therefore, they did not oppose it.
First, there is no need to link delimitation with women’s reservation. What we demand is a reservation for women similar to the existing Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes reservation. That is, 33 percent of the existing tally of 543 seats. That has been a long-standing demand.
Current male MPs are unwilling to give up their seats, fearing loss of position; so they are increasing the total number of seats and allocating from that. This must be strongly condemned. It is not acceptable.
Secondly, they say it is based on population data, but they are using the 2011 census. In 2011, India’s population was 120 crore; now it is about 148 crore. They have announced a new census for 2027. Why not wait for that and then carry out delimitation? Why the hurry now?
The only intention is to gain political advantage in the Assembly elections in five states. This parliamentary session and the delimitation bill are being rushed only to attract women voters.
A women’s reservation bill was passed in 2023. If they are so concerned, why has it not been implemented yet? Why has it been kept pending for three years?
They have no real intention of providing reservations to women; they are only trying to gain political benefit from it.
Q: Beyond women’s reservation, delimitation could reduce parliamentary seats for southern states. Won’t that backfire in Tamil Nadu?
A: The BJP itself knows it cannot win in Tamil Nadu. They know the lotus will not bloom here, even if it allies with others.
So this is not just about Tamil Nadu; all southern states will see a reduction in their share. Currently, Tamil Nadu has 39 out of 543 seats (7.2%). If the total increases to 850, we should still have 7.2%.
But instead, they are increasing seats in northern states where the BJP is strong and reducing representation for states like Tamil Nadu. They justify it using the population data.
Population control was a national policy, and slogans like “We two, ours two,” “We two, ours one,” etc., were promoted. Tamil Nadu and Kerala implemented these policies effectively.
Now, they are being punished for successfully implementing a national policy. That is why we demand that representation should not decrease proportionally. Otherwise, Tamil Nadu’s voice in Parliament will weaken. Also, when new population data comes later, when will it be revised again? It could take 50 or even 100 years.
This could allow governments to be formed without support from southern states, which goes against the federal structure of India. That is why we oppose it completely.
Q: In this election, the CPI(M) is contesting five seats in the DMK alliance. Last time you contested six and won two. Can you win all seats this time?
A: There is generally a favourable wave for the DMK-led secular progressive alliance. The DMK will win more seats than they did in 2021 and form the government.
Even if Vijay splits some votes, the DMK alliance is likely to gain more seats.
As far as these five constituencies are concerned, they are favourable to the CPI(M). In Keezhvelur and Gandarvakottai, our sitting MLAs have done good work.
Padmanabhapuram is already a strong DMK constituency. Congress, CPI(M), and DMK together are strong there.
Palani was won by the DMK earlier with a margin of 30,000 votes. Similarly, Tiruvottiyur was won with a margin of 37,000 votes.
So, the DMK has allotted us strong constituencies. Therefore, we will definitely win all five seats.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
