Former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj (1903-75), whose 122nd anniversary of birth was celebrated on July 15, 2025, was known for organizational skills and fortifications by Congress in Tamil Nadu.
In his long career, the shepherd in the Pastýl state in the state so strongly that Congress won most of the election battles since 1946. Of course, in 1967 and 1971, the borders of the friend’s leadership and election sentences occurred.
In 1954, however, there were two electoral competitions – a comprehensive election for the Gudiyatham constituency and NerCOIL (now called Kanniyakumari) Lok Sabha in 1969 – where he was the main player and success and success with subtlety. Both options had one feature in common: they both took place in regions outside his native district – Ramanathapuram, under which Virudhunagar (his birthplace) fell between 1910 and 1985.
Constituration of Gudiyatham assembly
The need for an attack in the election elections in Gudiyatham appeared for a friend because he had to become a member of the legislature after his appointment by the main minister in April 1954. (legislators (legislators) (legislature) did not become (legislator) (legislature (legislature) (legislator) (legislators) did not become (legislators) (legislators) did not become (legislators) (legislator) Rajagoparie (Crjagopari (Crjagopari (in 1952. One of his successors to the CN Annadurai (CNA) used the CR journey in 1967. There was also a controversy about how Rajai became a member of the legislative council of P. Ramamurti, Marxist theorist and then in the Indian Communist Party).
The friend, who came from Virudhunagar in the southern belt of the state, was a member of the parliament at a time when he became the main minister. There was only a vacancy in the legislative assembly only for Gudiyatham, which was part of the former North Arcot district (now divided into Vellore, Ranipet, ThiruPathur and Tiruvannamalai). At that time, Gudiyatham was a two -member constituency with one seat reserved for the planned caste (SC).
While Kamaj, In June 1954, Made It Clear To the Party That He Would Like to Enter the Fray for the General Seat, The Scheduled Castes’ Federation (SCF), EstabLished by Br Ambedkar, Had APPROACHED HIM WITH AND REQUES According to A Report of the Hindu on June 22, 1954. The Report Had Eve Mentioned That (In the Event of the Request Being Accept,) “This Will Be The First time” for Congress and SCFs have election understanding. However, this proposal was not formed, probably because of tense ties between ambedcar and congress at the level of all India. In the end, the SCF was left to build his own candidate in Gudiyatham. For the reserved armchair was the nominated Congress T. Manavalan and Federation, M. Krshnaswami.
Although the candidate of Congress was the main minister himself, the ruling party did not take advantage of the chance. Two central ministers – Maragatham Chandrasekhar, who was a representative of the Minister of Health and TT Krishnamachari (TTK), Minister of Trade Union and Trade, were elaborated for exploration work – except C. Subramaniam, no. 2 in the cabinet Kamaraj and Minister of Finance.
The main rival of the main minister was K. Kothandaraman of CPI. In his biography of the former Minister, veteran journalist TS Chocalingam mentions that the members of Congress have “turned their attention” to Gudiyatham and “friends” from each district, they started a campaign for a friend. There was a “one more miracle” – Dravidar Kazhagam and the Muslim League publicly declare their support for him and start their canvas.
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Kamaj was not the one who would be kidnapped by “such a widespread support”. In the campaign he threw himself and did his work in villages. After a few weeks on the election election date, he covered 100 out of 160 villages in the election district, wrote Hindu on July 18, 1954. He responded to the Communists criticism that Congress, although he was in the center and in the States, did not address in a country that was possible to be in seven years. At the “age that has been removed in the states”, in the states that have been within the way, “as he succeeded, it is possible to be seven years old to recover, and that it is in the country in the country to have to be carried out mutually, and the age in the center. Premiere Jawaharlal Nezru. Being a person who is aware of the standard of living of the poor would “do his maximum” to raise them and assure voters.
When the outcome was 4 August 1954, it was on the expected lines. Kamaj defeated CPI candidate with a comfortable span – about 38,000 votes. This was the only opportunity when the former main minister was a candidate in the northern region of the state.
Almost 15 years later, the political area in the state was not so benign either to friends or to Congress. At the beginning of 1967, the National Party was released from power in the state after almost 20 years of rule. Kamaj himself lost in the election district of the Virudhunagar assembly to lightly the birds of prey Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The DMK, who plunged the CNA, who had a rainbow coalition including Swatantar and CPI (Marxista), captured in a very stunning way. On Wednesday, even though the congress was in power, there were changes in the balance of power. The “Old Guard” in the ruling side was experiencing a phase of bankruptcy and naturally there was a report on the difference between the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and some of her colleagues of the Cabinet, who were considered members of the “Old Guard”. Given that the transmission position of Congress in the politics of the country has begun to decrease, new political forces appeared.
Nercoil Lok Sabha Election District
The death of “Marshal” A. Nesamonie required the election district of Nergercoil Lok Sabha. A friend, who was looking for the opportunity to regain the confidence of people after the defeat of Virudhunagar, announced his candidacy on December 1, 1968, reported the next day. There were six other competitors. But the battle was between him and M. Mathias, who was supported by an alliance led by DMK, which included Swatantar and the Muslim League.
Nercecoil should usually not be a difficult terrain for Congress, which had a strong base even as it is now. In addition, even in 1967, when the National Party, five of the six constituencies that created Nerdcoil, were in favor of Congress in most districts. But it was a DMK who decided to increase the intensive competition.
The former leader of the PAZha Nedumaran Congress in his “perunthalaivarin Nizhalilu” (in the shadow of the Great Leader (which means Kamaj)), said the choice of Bye was transformed into another “Kurukshetra War”. PA. Addanar, who later became the Minister of Cabinet DMK headed by Karunanidhi. When evaluating Mr. Nedumaran, DMK leaders entertained the idea that if a friend had tasted defeat (her possibility could not be ignored, especially after Virudhunagar), he could have been expelled from the politics of Tamil Nadu.
Indira Gandhi was welcomed by a friend and karunanidhi | Photo Credit: Hindic Archives
With the installation on the election fever, the atmosphere was “borrowed” with a stream of trucks that bring fans of rival parties from outside the district, Hindu wrote on January 5, 1969, three days before the election election date. “Over the past 10 days, the police have arrested about 200 people, most of whom in connection with election clashes,” the newspapers said. The then head of the Congress Committee Tamil Nadu (TNCC), C.Subramaniam (CS), accused DMK of bringing “hired hooligans” of the neighboring Turnevel district. Karunanidhi, who supervised the Mathias campaign, questioned the accusation of CS and blame for the congress, which, as he said, “indulges in violence”. Regarding the complaint concerning the involvement of higher DMK ministers in the campaign, Karunanidhi justified that his party was “only by example” set by Congress. The friend’s answer was that his party refrained the invitation of the Ministers of the Union to the campaign in the election district, even if they were “ready to come”.
The vast election madness increased to the boiling point of midnight on January 4, when the DMK, Kitta worker was killed, and two others suffered injuries. That day, the head of the state police (which was called the General Inspector), RM Mahadevan reached Nergercoil to supervise the preparations. Police Superintendant S. Daysenkar decided to go for a month for a medical holiday. He was immediately replaced by K. Srikumara Menon, a deputy commissioner, operation. Madurai. On the election election day (January 8), the then Chief Election Commissioner SP Sen Verma, he visited up to 35 election stations of the constituency according to these newspapers. Due to the High Decibel campaign, 75%exceeded electoral participation, several percentage points higher than what Derpercoil scored in 1967.
As a result, there was no element of great surprise. Kamaj won the election by a huge margin of 1 28 201 votes over Mathias by calling 2 49 437 votes.
A. Gopanna, who also commented on the election battles of the former main minister, who also wrote his biography, feels that a friend always combines more emphasis on drawing support from people directly than anything else. R. Kannan, a biographer of former main ministers CN Annadurai and Mg Ramacandran, besides writing “DMK Years”, says a friend when he attacked in NerCOIL, “wanted to remain relevant”.
Kamaij’s participation in the two elections for showed how much he paid as a political leader to ensure legitimacy from the public.
