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Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam

The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (transl. National Progressive
Dravidian Federation; abbr. DMDK) is an Indian regional political party in the Desiya Murpokku Dravida
state of Tamil Nadu. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former leader of the Kazhagam
opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Vijayakant (Captain) at Abbreviation DMDK
Madurai on 14 September 2005. The DMDK is led by its founder as president
President Vijayakant
and general secretary of the party. The headquarters of the party is located at
Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Koyambedu, Chennai. General Secretary Vijayakant
Treasurer Premalatha
Vijayakant
Policies Founder Vijayakant
"Save Mother Tamil and Learn All Languages" is the policy statement of the Founded 14 September
Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam. 2005
Our aim is to strive to create a state where there are no people below the Headquarters 125/7,
poverty line by maintaining purity, currency, and humanity in politics. Jawaharlal
Nehru Salai,
First, stop the bribery and corruption that is stopping the progress and
Koyambedu,
development of Tamil Nadu and the bitterness, dishonesty, and selfishness
Chennai –
that have spread in politics and eradicate them in the future.
600107, Tamil
To create a state where all our religions agree by completely eradicating Nadu, India.
those who instigate terrorism, those who support terrorism, and all terrorism
Student wing DMDK Student
from the country. Wing
To resolve river water issues with neighbouring states such as Andhra Youth wing DMDK Youth
Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry and develop friendly relations, Wing
laying the groundwork for connecting rivers with the goal of using water
wasted in the respective states to Tamil Nadu. Women's wing DMDK
Women's Wing
In order to improve the quality of education in Tamil Nadu without changing its
Labour wing Desiya
ancient history and culture, practical education should be in line with modern
Murpokku
times and practices, emphasising vocational education, providing quality
Union
education to Tamil Nadu, and transforming students' futures.
Federation
Making Tamil Nadu India's first employment-generating state.
Ideology Populism
Establishing mechanisms for fair pricing of agricultural produce to protect the
Secularism
interests of farmers
Dravidianism
To modernise the weaving industry, protect the dying industry, and devise new
schemes to protect the welfare of the weavers and strive for the development Social
of the weaving industry. democracy

We strive to treat women with the same dignity and respect as men. We will Colours Yellow
make Tamil Nadu bright by taking love, virtue, and power as our ambitious ECI Status State party[1]
motto.
Seats in Lok Sabha 0 / 543

History Seats in Rajya Sabha 0 / 245

Seats in Tamil Nadu 0 / 234

Vijayakant era (14 September 2005 – Present) Legislative
Assembly
The party was founded on 14 September 2005, as Desiya Murpokku Dravida Number of states 0 / 31
Kazhagam (DMDK) by Vijayakant (Captain), a veteran Tamil film star and and union
popular politician. He assumed the responsibility of the founder-president of territories
the party. Ramu Vasanthan, who was the state president of the fans' forum, in government
took charge as the general secretary of the party. On 17 July 2009, he died of a Election symbol
cardiac arrest. In 2014, the party's founder-president, Vijayakant, took over
the position that had previously been vacant.
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In the 2006 assembly elections, the party contested all 234 seats without an
alliance and bagged only one seat with 8.38% of the vote, that of its founder-
president Vijayakant from Virudhachalam constituency, who served as a
member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Other candidates of this
party who contested in other constituencies in this election failed.

In the 2009 general elections, it contested 40 seats—39 in Tamil Nadu and 1 in Website
Puducherry—without an alliance and lost in all the constituencies with 0.75% of www.dmdkparty.com (https://dmdkparty.c
the vote.[2] om/)

Following widespread corruption, a price rise, a power cut, and allegations of Politics of India · Political parties ·
nepotism against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, in the 2011 Elections
assembly elections, the party, in alliance with parties like the left and former
chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam (AIADMK),[3] swept the polls, winning 202 seats, with the DMDK
winning 29 out of 40 which it contested, and got the opposition status in the Tamil
Nadu Legislative Assembly by making it a second largest party in the legislative
assembly next only to its ally AIADMK pushing DMK to third position and
Vijayakant recognized as the leader of the opposition in the assembly, becoming the
first actor to become the leader of the opposition in a state's legislative assembly in
India. The large victory also earned recognition and a permanent election symbol
from the Election Commission of India.[4] Vijayakant stepped down as leader of the
opposition on 21 February 2016, after eight DMDK party MLAs resigned.[5]

The party's performance began to deteriorate after the 2014 general elections; it
fought the Lok Sabha election in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led
National Democratic Alliance (NDA).[6] Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi, and Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi and Dr. Vijayakant
Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi's Social Democratic Alliance are the other allies of the Founder of the party
National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu. In the NDA alliance, this party has the
highest number of seats, which are 14 in number. Despite the big hype, the party
lost all 14 seats to AIADMK candidates. But this is the first time in 52 years that the DMK alliance was pushed to third
place by the number of seats, and this election has given confidence to most parties that the future of Tamil Nadu lies in
a coalition government.

The DMDK decided to run alongside the People's Welfare Front (PWA) in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
elections, as part of the "Captain Vijayakant Alliance,"[7 ] which included the Communist Party of India (Marxist),
Communist Party of India, Vaiko's Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Thol. Thirumavalavan's Viduthalai
Chiruthaigal Katchi. The DMDK performed poorly in the election, not winning even a single constituency and losing
deposits in the majority of its seats. It also witnessed a vote swing of -5.49% from the 2011 assembly elections.

In the 2019 general elections, after several rounds of talks with different political
parties, The move comes after the DMDK’s attempts to make an alliance with the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which has already entered into a pre-poll alliance
with the Congress and several others, failed. DMDK contested with the Bharatiya
Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu for the 17th
Lok Sabha polls, along with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Pattali
Makkal Katchi, Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), and some unrecognized
parties. Vijayakant wants to prove his vote bank strength in this election, but the
party was humiliated and lost all four that it contested out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats
in the state. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), a DMK-led alliance consisting DMDK poster in Thanjavur
of all the major opposition parties in the state, swept the election by winning 38
seats.

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In the 2021 assembly elections, the DMDK, which had the support of the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam, Social
Democratic Party of India, and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, lost 60 seats contested and saw a vote
percentage swing of -1.96% compared to previous assembly elections. After the election, the DMK emerged as the
ruling party, and the AIADMK emerged as the main party of the opposition in the assembly.

Electoral performance

Indian general elections

Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Party Seats Change Percentage Vote Popular

Year Seats won Outcome
Sabha leader contested in seats of votes swing vote

2009 15th 40 0 / 543 0.75% 3,126,117

2014 16th 14 0 / 543 0.38% 2,078,843

Vijayakant 0.37% Lost

2019 17th 4 0 / 543 0.15% 929,590

0.23%

State legislative assembly elections

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Elections[8]

Party Seats Change Percentage Vote Popular

Year Assembly Seats won Outcome
leader contested in seats of votes swing vote

2006 13th 234 1 / 234 1 8.38% 2,764,223 Others

2011 14th 41 29 / 234 28 7.88% 2,903,828 Opposition

0.50%
Vijayakant
2016 15th 104 0 / 234 28 2.39% 1,034,384
5.49%
Lost
2021 16th 60 0 / 234 0.43% 200,157
1.96%

Puducherry Legislative Assembly Elections[9]

Party Seats Change Percentage Vote Popular

Year Assembly Seats won Outcome
leader contested in seats of votes swing vote

2006 12th 24 0 / 30 2.73% 15,405

2011 13th 1 0 / 30 0.85% 5,966

1.88%
Vijayakant Lost
2016 14th 6 0 / 30 0.11% 850
0.74%

2021 15th 26 0 / 30 0.30% 2,524

0.19%

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National Capital Territory of Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections[10]

Party Seats Change Percentage Vote Popular

Year Assembly Seats won Outcome
leader contested in seats of votes swing vote

2013 5th Vijayakant 11 0 / 70 0.03% 2,285 Lost

Current office bearers and prominent members

Member Position in government Party position

Former Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative

Assembly Founder-President and General
Vijayakant
Former Member of the Legislative Assembly from Rishivandiyam Secretary
Former Member of the Legislative Assembly from Virudhachalam

V. Elangovan Presidium Chairman

Premalatha Vijayakant Treasurer

Alagaapuram R.
Former Member of the Legislative Assembly from Salem North Propaganda Secretary
Mohanraj

L. K. Sudhish Deputy Secretary

B. Parthasarathy Former Member of the Legislative Assembly from Virugampakkam Deputy Secretary

A. S. Akbar Deputy Secretary

List of party leaders

Presidents

Name Term in office

No. Portrait
(Birth–Death)
Assumed office Left office Time in office

Vijayakant
1 14 September 2005 Incumbent 18 years, 26 days
(1952–)

General Secretaries

Name Term in office

No. Portrait
(Birth–Death)
Assumed office Left office Time in office

S. Ramu Vasanthan
1 14 September 2005 17 July 2009 3 years, 306 days
(Unknow n–2009)

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Name Term in office

No. Portrait
(Birth–Death)
Assumed office Left office Time in office

Vijayakant
2 1 June 2014 Incumbent 9 years, 131 days
(1952–)

Legislative leaders

List of leaders of the opposition

Leaders of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

Name Term in office Assembly

No. Portrait Constituency
(Birth–Death) (Election)
Assumed office Left office Time in office

Vijayakant 14th
1 27 May 2011 21 February 2016 4 years, 270 days Rishivandiyam
(1952–) (2011)

List of deputy leaders of the opposition

Deputy Leaders of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

Term in office
Leader of
Name Time Assembly
No. Portrait Assumed Left Constituency the
(Birth–Death) in (Election)
office office Opposition
office

Panruti S. 10
2 years, 14th
1 Ramachandran 27 May 2011 December Alandur Vijayakant
197 days (2011)
(1937–) 2013

References
1. "List of Political Parties and Election Symbols main Notification Dated 18.01.2013" (http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/Electoral
Laws/OrdersNotifications/ElecSym19012013_eng.pdf) (PDF). India: Election Commission of India. 2013. Retrieved
9 May 2013.
2. "DMDK improves poll showing". The times of India Chennai edition. 18 May 2009. p. 3.
3. "Vijayakanth's party to join hands with AIADMK to 'oust DMK' " (https://web.archive.org/web/20110227235337/http://ww
w.hindu.com/2011/02/25/stories/2011022562130100.htm). The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 February 2011. Archived
from the original (http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/25/stories/2011022562130100.htm) on 27 February 2011. Retrieved
25 February 2010.

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4. "தே.மு.தி.க.,வுக்கு தேர்தல் கமிஷன் அங் கீகாரம்: சின் னத்தை இழக்கிறது பா.ம.க." (htt
p://www.dinamalar.com/News_Detail.asp?Id=242863) Dinamalar. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
5. "Vijaykant loses Opposition leader post; after 8 rebel MLAs resign" (https://theregister.co.in/india/vijaykant-dmdk-mla-r
esign/). Register India. India. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
6. "Confirmed: DMDK-BJP form alliance in Tamil Nadu for LS polls" (https://www.oneindia.com/india/confirmed-dmdk-bjp
-form-alliance-in-tamil-nadu-for-lok-sabha-polls-1402705.html). www.oneindia.com. 26 February 2014.
7. "TN polls: Joining the Third Front, Captain Vijayakanth worries DMK and AIADMK" (https://indianexpress.com/article/e
xplained/tamil-nadu-polls-joining-the-third-front-the-captain-worries-dmk-and-aiadmk/). 23 March 2016.
8. "Tamil Nadu Assembly Election Results" (https://eci.gov.in/files/category/90-tamil-nadu/). Election Commission of India.
September 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
9. "Puducherry Assembly Election Results" (https://eci.gov.in/files/category/87-puducherry/). Election Commission of
India. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
10. "Delhi Assembly Election Results" (https://eci.gov.in/files/category/70-tamil-nadu/). Election Commission of India. 27
May 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2022.

External links
Vijaykanth's interview to rediff.com (http://in.rediff.com/election/2006/may/08pinter.htm)
தேமுதிக Official Facebook Link (https://www.facebook.com/pages/தேமுதிக-தலைமைக்கழக-இ
ணையதள-அணி/685873961437219)

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