Pattali Makkal Katchi

Template:Pp-extended Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Indian English Template:Confused Template:Infobox Indian Political Party The Pattali Makkal Katchi (Template:Translation; Template:Small PMK) is a political party in Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded by Dr. S. Ramadoss in 1989 to provide political representation for the Vanniyar caste, a community found throughout northern Tamil Nadu.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> It is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Its symbol is a mango.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2025, it is currently led by Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss following a months long dispute that resulted in his father, Dr. S. Ramadoss, forming a splinter faction of the PMK.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

Vanniyar Sangam

S. Ramadoss founded the Template:Vanchor in 1980, bringing together a coalition of Vanniyar caste organisations. The Vanniyar Sangam is PMK's parent organisation <ref name="HT40yrold" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> that organised the 1987 Vanniyar reservation agitation, demanding Most Backward Caste (MBC) status for Vanniyars. At the peak of the protests, the state was paralysed for a week when thousands of trees were cut down, highways were blocked and damaged, and more than 1,400 houses belonging to members of the Dalit community were torched.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref> The police shot 21 protestors.<ref name="HT40yrold">Template:Cite web</ref> Later, in 1989, the DMK government led by then-Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi granted MBC status to the Vanniyars, with the associated reservation entitlements in education and employment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

PMK (1989–present)

Ramadoss founded the PMK on 16 July 1989,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> emerging from the Vanniyar reservation protests of 1987.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Ahead of the 2004 elections, PMK joined the Democratic Progressive Alliance, a broad Tamil political coalition which also included the DMK, Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian Union Muslim League. The party was able to obtain a significant share of power both in the regional government in Tamil Nadu and the Central Government due to the number of seats it won which helped the United Progressive Alliance (UPA-I) form the Government.Template:Citation needed

Following the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the PMK joined the United Progressive Alliance led by the INC. In June 2008, during the final months of the bitter relationship between the DMK and the PMK, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu severed its ties with the PMK, who were outside supporters of the Karunanidhi Government.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the DMK did not press for the party's removal from the UPA Government at the centre. On 26 March 2009, PMK declared that, it would join the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led front and left the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

Ramadoss and his son, Anbumani Ramdoss, were arrested by the Jayalalithaa government for their inflammatory speeches, the PMK cadres indulged in violence in April 2013 causing property damages estimated worth ₹600 crores.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jayalalithaa likened the party to a “terrorist” organization and claimed they hurled petrol bombs on moving vehicles and caused damages to 850 vehicles including public buses and threatened to ban the party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ramadoss and his son were released after 12 days in prison.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

PMK contested in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in an alliance with BJP-led NDA and its candidate Anbumani Ramadoss won the Dharmapuri Lok Sabha constituency, he was one of two non-AIADMK MPs from Tamil Nadu the other being from its ally BJP.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

PMK continued its alliance with AIADMK and BJP in the 2019 Indian general election in Tamil Nadu and contested 7 seats but the party failed to win any seats.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

PMK again contested seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, fielding 10 candidates across 10 separate constituencies. But the party failed to win any seats.

The Madras Institute of Developmental Studies (MIDS) and an reported that the PMK and the Hindu Munnani was involved in the 2019 Ponparappi violence where Dalit women were sexually abused and Dalit houses were attacked and damaged.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An NGO Evidence also blamed PMK in the violence because the Dalit colony voted overwhelmingly for VCK.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In November 2020, Ramadoss called for a protest demanding 20% internal reservation for Vanniyars in the MBC category in education and jobs from 1 December. During the pro-reservation protests, more than 500 PMK cadres pelted stones on a moving train and blocked traffic when they were blocked from entering Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A bill to create the 10.5% internal reservation to Vanniyars was passed on February 26, 2021, by the AIADMK government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The move was taken ahead of the April 6 assembly elections to appease the PMK, which had threatened to quit the coalition if their demand was not satisfied.<ref name=":1" /> In July 2021, the DMK government issued an order to implement 10.5% quota Bill for Vanniyars.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

PMK contested in 23 seats in the AIADMK alliance in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election and won five seats by securing 4.04%.<ref name=":0" /> In the assembly, PMK voted in favour of anti-CAA and anti-farm-law resolutions, but AIADMK and BJP walked out over the matter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> PMK left the AIADMK-led alliance for the 2021 local body polls.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ideology and political positions

The PMK defied Tamil Nadu's Dravidian political culture by explicitly appealing to its caste identification when asking for support. The party has been linked to direct action and protests that have resulted in violence. Between 2012 and 2013, the party ran a campaign against intercaste marriages.<ref name=":2" />

Current office bearers and prominent members

The leaders of Pattali Makkal Katchi, who are also the national executives of the party, are listed below:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

National Executive

S.No	Member	Party Position
1.	S. Ramadoss	Founder of PMK
2.	Anbumani Ramadoss	President of PMK
3.	Vadivel Ravanan	General Secretary of PMK
4.	M. Thilagabama	Treasurer of PMK
5.	S. P. Venkateshwaran	MLA, Dharmapuri
6.	S. Sadhasivam	MLA, Mettur
5.	C. Sivakumar	MLA, Mailam

List of party leaders

Party Presidents

No.	Portrait	Name Template:Small	Term in office
			Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		Dheeran (unknown)	16 July 1989	31 December 1997	Template:Age in years and days
2		G.K. Mani (1952–)	31 December 1997	28 May 2022	Template:Age in years and days
3		Anbumani Ramadoss (1968–)	28 May 2022	Incumbent	Template:Age in years and days

===Party Honanary Presidents===

No.	Portrait	Name Template:Small	Term in office
			Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		G.K. Mani (1952–)	28 May 2022	Incumbent	Template:Age in years and days

List of Union Ministers

Template:Abbr	Portrait		Minister Template:Small	Term of office			Portfolio	Ministry	Prime Minister
				From	To	Period
1	bgcolor="Template:Party color"|		Dalit Ezhilmalai Template:Small [[[:Template:Abbr]]]	20 March 1998	14 August 1999	Template:Ayd	Minister of Health and Family Welfare	Vajpayee II	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
2	bgcolor="Template:Party color"|		N. T. Shanmugam Template:Small [[[:Template:Abbr]]]	13 October 1999	27 May 2000	Template:Ayd		Vajpayee III
	bgcolor="Template:Party color"|			27 May 2000	7 February 2001	Template:Ayd	Ministry of Coal
	bgcolor="Template:Party color"|			1 July 2002	15 January 2004	Template:Ayd	Ministry of Food Processing Industries
3	bgcolor="Template:Party color"|		A. K. Moorthy Template:Small	1 July 2002	15 January 2004	Template:Ayd	[[Ministry of Railways (India)|Template:Abbr in Ministry of Railways]]
4	bgcolor="Template:Party color"|		E. Ponnuswamy Template:Small	13 October 1999	7 February 2001	Template:Ayd	[[Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas|Template:Abbr in Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas]]
5	bgcolor="Template:Party color"|		Anbumani Ramadoss Template:Small	23 May 2004	29 March 2009	Template:Ayd	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare	Manmohan I	Manmohan Singh
6	bgcolor="Template:Party color"|		R. Velu Template:Small				[[Ministry of Railways (India)|Template:Abbr in Ministry of Railways]]

Election history

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

Election Year	Election	Votes polled	Won	Change of Seats	Alliance	Result
1991	10th Assembly	1,452,982	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase1	None	Lost
1996	11th Assembly	1,042,333	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 3	PMK+	Lost
2001	12th Assembly	1,557,500	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 16	AIADMK+	Won
2006	13th Assembly	1,863,749	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 2	DMK +	Won
2011	14th Assembly	1,927,783	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 15	DMK +	Lost
2016	15th Assembly	2,300,775	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 3	None	Lost
2021	16th Assembly	1,756,796	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 5	AIADMK+	Lost

Lok Sabha election

Election Year	Election	Votes polled	Won	Change of Seats	Alliance	Result
1996	11th Lok Sabha	552,118	Template:Composition bar	No Change	PMK+	Lost
1998	12th Lok Sabha	15,48,976	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase4	NDA	Government
1999	13th Lok Sabha	2,236,821	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase1	NDA	Government
2004	14th Lok Sabha	1,927,367	Template:Composition bar	No Change	DPA	Government
2009	15th Lok Sabha	1,944,619	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease5	TF	Lost
2014	16th Lok Sabha	1,804,812	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase1	NDA	Government
2019	17th Lok Sabha	2,297,431<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease1	NDA	Government
2024	18th Lok Sabha	18,79,689	Template:Composition bar	No Change	NDA	Government

^{DPA - Democratic Progressive Alliance NDA - National Democratic Alliance TF - Third Front PT - PMK-Tiwari Congress Front}

Puducherry

Puducherry Legislative Assembly election

Election Year	Election	Votes polled	Won	Change of Seats	Alliance	Result
2006	2006 Pondicherry Legislative Assembly election	N.A.	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase2	DPA	Government

Lok Sabha election

Election Year	Election	Votes polled	Won	Change of Seats	Alliance	Result	Candidate
1999	13th Lok Sabha	140,920	Template:Composition bar	No Change	NDA	Lost	M. Ramadass
2004	14th Lok Sabha	241,653	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase1	DPA	Government	M. Ramadass
2009	15th Lok Sabha	208,619	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease1	TF	Lost	M. Ramadass

^{DPA - Democratic Progressive Alliance NDA - National Democratic Alliance TF - Third Front PT - PMK-Tiwari Congress Front}

List of Lok Sabha Members

Year	Election	Member	Constituency	Remarks
					1998	12th Lok Sabha	Dalit Ezhilmalai	Chidambaram (SC)
K. Parymohan	Dharmapuri
M. Durai	Vandavasi
N.T. Shanmugam	Vellore
1999	13th Lok Sabha	A.K. Moorthy	Chengalpattu
		Mathivanan	Chidambaram (SC)
		P D Elangovan	Dharmapuri
		M. Durai	Vandavasi	Re-elected for 2nd term
		N.T. Shanmugam	Vellore	Re-elected for 2nd term
2004	14th Lok Sabha	Rangasamy Velu	Arakkonam
		A.K. Moorthy	Chengalpattu	Re-elected for 2nd term
		E Ponnuswamy	Chidambaram (SC)	Re-elected for 2nd term
		Senthil Raman	Dharmapuri
		K Dhanaraju	Tindivanam
		M. Ramadass	Puducherry
2014	16th Lok Sabha	Anbumani Ramadoss	Dharmapuri

List of Rajya Sabha Members

No.	Portrait	Name Template:Small	Position	Term in office			Constituency Template:Small
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		R. Anbumani (1968–)	Member of Rajya Sabha	2004	2010	6 years	Tamil Nadu (Rajya Sabha)
				2019	2025	6 years

See also

• List of political parties in India