With barely two months left for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the ruling DMK has intensified its preparations by initiating a comprehensive constituency-level survey exercise to identify winnable candidates and assess its electoral prospects across the state.
Party sources said the large-scale field study is designed to shortlist the strongest contender in each constituency by analysing factors such as local popularity, organisational strength, past electoral performance and the prevailing political climate.
The surveys are being conducted directly among voters, party cadres and key influencers to ensure that the leadership gets a realistic picture of the ground situation.
Members of the DMK’s political strategy team explained that the process involves contacting voters at the constituency level and first asking which party they intend to support. Respondents are then presented with a list of potential DMK candidates and asked to choose their preferred nominee.
“The responses are compiled and submitted to the leadership, which helps determine who has the best winning chances,” a source said.
Voters were asked to pick the candidate they would most likely support if fielded by the DMK. In addition to political preference, respondents’ caste and socio-economic details are also being recorded to understand voting patterns more accurately.
Feedback is being gathered not only from the general public but also from booth-level workers, local functionaries and opinion-makers, giving the party a layered understanding of each constituency.
Sources associated with the DMK’s consultancy firm said the exercise goes beyond candidate selection.
The findings will also guide the party’s broader strategy, particularly during upcoming seat-sharing negotiations with alliance partners.
Constituencies like Thondamuthur, historically allotted to allies, may be reconsidered based on the party’s present strength.
Senior leaders believe the data-driven approach will help the DMK enter alliance talks with clarity and avoid last-minute adjustments.
The party is expected to soon constitute a formal committee to begin seat-sharing discussions, once the survey reports are placed before the leadership.
With the campaign season approaching, the DMK appears keen to combine grassroots feedback with strategic planning to maximise its electoral strike rate.
