Coalitions of caste

Chennai Ahead of the polls in Tamil Nadu, a number of outfits — established, nascent and unknown — have emerged from the shadows with a claim to transfer their captive, caste-based votes for respect, recognition and other benefits. The power of this transferable vote share has been exhibited best by the Pattali Makkal Katchi, a party of the numerically strong most backward class (MBC) Vanniyar community and founded by Dr S Ramadoss. They comprise nearly 30 per cent of the population. The community has leaders in all parties, yet the poor among its members remain so.

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