| Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam | |
|---|---|
| Leader | 'Best' S.Ramasamy |
| Secretary-General | E.R.Easwaran |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Coimbatore |
| Newspaper | Kongunadu Media |
| Alliance | DMK front |
| Website | |
| http://www.knmkparty.org/ | |
| Party flag | |
| Politics of India Political parties Elections |
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Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK) (Tamil: கொங்குநாடு முன்னேற்ற கழகம்) is a political party in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The party's vote base is mainly concentrated in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu.[1]
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The party was launched in the name of "Kongunadu Munnetra Peravai" but later its leaders adopted the already registered name of "Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam". It was launched in 2009 at Coimbatore by the Kongu Vellala Goundergal Peravai, a Gounder caste organisation.[2] Although the party was launched by a Gounder Organisation, it has repositioned itself as the representative of all people in the entire Kongu region .[3][4][5][6] The party charged that Kongu region continued to be one of the most neglected region in Tamil Nadu, although the region contributed for 40% of revenue to the state government.[7] The party also claims that it was formed for the welfare and development of the Kongu region.[8]
The party contested in 12 constituencies independently (without alliance) in 2009 lokshaba elections and polled around 6 lakhs (600,000) votes in kongu region.[9] Although the party was not able to win any seat still it was considered as a good show by political observers as the party was started only 4 months before the elections.It is believed that the party will be stopped after 2011.[9][1] The party mainly contributed for the defeat of all Congress - DMK alliance candidates in the Kongu region of Tamilnadu.[7] The party came third in many constituencies ahead of DMDK (Vijayakanth's party).[9]
In the 2011, state assembly elections KMK was part of the DMK front. It contested in 7 assembly constituencies situated in the Kongu belt and lost in all of them. E. R. Eswaran, the general secretary of the party lost his seat from Sulur constituency with a margin of about 30,000 votes.[10]
In the 2011 local body elections the party was allied with the BJP.[11]
| Year | General Election | Votes Polled | Seats Contested | Seats Won | Alliance with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 15th Lok Sabha | 5,79,704 | 12 | 0 | -- |
| 2011 | Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, 2011 | 3,70,044 | 7 | 0 | DMK front |