Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district, often called the “Fireworks Capital of India,” witnessed a major political shift in 2021 after a decade of AIADMK rule. In the 2021 Assembly elections, INC’s A. M. S. G. Ashokan won with 78,947 votes, defeating AIADMK’s Lakshmi Ganesan by a margin of 17,319 votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s K. T. Rajenthra Bhalaji won with 76,734 votes, defeating INC’s C. Sreeraja by 14,748 votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s K. T. Rajenthra Bhalaji secured victory with 87,333 votes, defeating DMK’s T. Vanaraja by 35,654 votes. Historically, since the 1977 elections, the AIADMK has dominated the constituency with five victories, while the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) has won twice. The 234-seat Assembly election in Tamil Nadu will see the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, take on the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and a resurgent BJP-led alliance. The campaign is centred around issues such as welfare schemes, law and order, and the broader debate between Dravidian political identity and national integration narratives. While the DMK government is highlighting its record on industrial growth and social justice, the opposition has targeted it over allegations of corruption and concerns about power shortages.