Kalaignar castes a perfect balance

CHENNAI: DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu CM, M Karunanidhi, may have side-stepped party considerations to accommodate his family members and close aides in the Union Cabinet, but his choice of candidates for ministers of state reflects all of the octogenarian���s political philosophy and strategy ��� to appease all voters who matter.DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu CM, M Karunanidhi, may have side-stepped party considerations to accommodate his family members and close aides in the Union Cabinet, but his choice of candidates for ministers of state reflects all of the octogenarian���s political philosophy and strategy ��� to appease all voters who matter. TN will send four ministers of state to the Union council of ministers ��� S S Palanimanickam, D Napoleon, S Jagathrakshakan, S Gandhiselvan. All four are from DMK, but drawn from four different regions and castes, representing a different class of voters each.

S S Palanimanickam, the sitting MP of Thanjavur , has retained not only his constituency but also his position as minister of state in Manmohan Singh���s Cabinet. But, sources say his entry was confirmed only when it was decided that former Union minister T R Baalu would sit out this time. The reason, Mr Baalu represented the Thevar community. His absence had to be made up for by another Thevar MP, which turned out to be Palanimanickam.

S Jagathrakshakan, a businessman, was earlier an MP as part of an AIADMK-led alliance. This time, he contested from Arakkonam, near Chennai, as part of the DMK-led alliance . Now, he will represent the Vanniyars , a business community living mainly in the northern districts of TN. PMK, the party which was founded on the Vanniyar votebank and managed to have a say in state and national politics all through the past decade, was swept off in this elections. Thus, opportunity for DMK to gain the support of yet another caste-based votebank.

S Gandhiselvan is a first time MP, and a representative of the Gounder community in western TN. Yet another community popular for its business and industrial acumen . Moreover, this LS elections, there were ripples created by the Kongunadu Munnetra Peravai, a party newly formed by the Gounder community , which split votes in favour of the AIADMK-led front in crucial constituencies like Coimbatore and Tirupur. Thus, DMK could not ignore the Gounder community.

It is only actor-turned-politician D Napoelan, who won the Perambalur constituency in central TN, who has been given a position based on party loyalty and closeness to the leadership.