The unexpected loss would not have hurt the DMK more than the margin by which it lost the elections. ‘132 seats to 98’ is what the numbers stood when the results were announced. Though it was a decent gap, the contest was very close considering the vote share of the two parties. But, an inch is as good as a mile when it comes to defeat.

This is the third consecutive time that the DMK was defeated by the AIADMK – in 2011, the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and now. But, Stalin’s Namakku Namae made the defeat more bearable.

Stalin, who toured in all the 234 constituencies, managed to create a favourable wave for the party which reflected in the elections, helping them recapture the 56 seats that they had lost in the previous elections. Yet, the party failed to capitalise on the wave, despite a silent anti-incumbency, with the AIADMK’s vote share dipping to 40.8 per cent. The DMK alliance managed 38.1 per cent, trailing the AIADMK by just 1.1 per cent.

Observers blame the decisions made by M. Karunanidhi, the DMK chief. Allocating 40 seats to the Congress, which lost 31 of them, is believed to be a major flaw. Other allies too did not fare well for the DMK.

The PWF alliance, PMK, and the BJP proved to be disturbing spoilers to the DMK as well. Despite failing to win even a single seat, these parties ate into the anti-AIADMK votes. Their constant complains of money distribution and reminding the voters of the corruption charges against the DMK also played their respective roles.

On the contrary however, DMK did look like the best opponent to the AIADMK, but the manifesto released by the AIADMK just before the elections won the battle for them even before the first vote was cast. It wooed most of the votes from the western belt and the Delta region. Intellectuals and the opposition criticized the freebies, but the voters were not complaining. Women loved it.

And then, there were those annoying ads on TV that, instead of creating an anti-AIADMK wave, only made the viewers feel sorry for her. The advertisement strategy carried out by the DMK created an impression as if the party had a lot of money to spend. Detractors claimed that it was part of the Rs.1.75 lakh crores that came from the 2G scams. That destroyed the goodwill that Stalin’s tour created. Even the party patriarch Karunanidhi’s campaign went in vain, despite him risking his fragile health.

Nevertheless, Namakku Namae had helped the party create a strong opposition in the assembly. A total of 98 would have definitely made the ruling party nervous and the sessions at the assembly would be healthier if the DMK is allowed to express its views freely.