Chennai, Jan 1 (PTI) Tamil Nadu's major opposition parties, the AIADMK that had been in power at regular intervals, and the BJP never close to striking distance, witnessed setbacks in their political ambitions in 2024 Lok Sabha polls which the DMK swept for the successive time in five years, asserting its stamp of supremacy in state politics.

The year saw a new challenger jump into the political fray, with top actor Vijay launching his Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam with an eye on the 2026 Assembly polls.

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Elsewhere, in the DMK camp, Chief Minister and party president M K Stalin's son Udhayanidhi was elevated as his deputy, amid speculations that the Youth Wing leader might have a bigger role to play in the 2026 elections.

In the fag end of the year, the sexual assault on a 19 year-old Anna University girl student case made the opposition rally together in targeting the ruling DMK over the handling of the case.

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This, like the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy that claimed over 61 lives, has caused an upheaval in the state, with the opposition demanding the arrest of the real perpetrator. AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition, Edappadi K Palaniswami who led the agitation, went the extra mile in launching a campaign asking the ruling dispensation "who is that sir?" that the arrested suspect had supposedly mentioned, and the "save our daughters" campaign.

BJP chief K Annamalai resorted to a whiplash agitation in front of his house in Coimbatore demanding the arrest of the real culprits while actor-politician Vijay heading the TVK met Governor R N Ravi over the issue.

The incident of the sexual assault on Christmas Eve made the National Commission for Women suo motu send a fact-finding team to the university to ascertain the truth.

And when 2025 begins, the shadow of the fragile ties between the DMK government and Ravi is likely to loom over the Assembly session when it starts in the second week of January.

The inadvertent skipping of the word 'Dravidam' while reciting the Tamil anthem "Tamil Thai Vazhuthu," at Doordarshan Tamil also became an issue with the DMK government blaming the Governor and seeking his recall.

Ravi had been the chief guest at the valedictory of Hindi month celebrations and golden jubilee of DD Chennai. The authorities in the public broadcaster immediately apologised for skipping the line and claimed the error occurred when the singers were distracted.

Ravi, at loggerheads with the government on a number of issues, hit back at the government accusing the Chief Minister of making a racist remark against him.

The year also saw former CM O Panneerselvam's popularity diminishing and his attempts to unite the AIADMK failing to yield any results. The year brought to the fore the question of political relevance of former confidante of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, V K Sasikala, and AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran.

A difference of opinion arose between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S Ramadoss and party leader and son Anbumani Ramadoss for the first time over the appointment of Mukundan Parasuraman as state president of the party's youth wing at the general council meeting at Pattanur in Villupuram district.

At the meeting, senior Ramadoss named his grandson for the post.

The 2024 Lok Sabha polls saw former allies AIADMK and BJP face elections separately for the first time since 2019 and both-led blocs drew a blank. The DMK and its allies swept the polls, winning all 39 parliamentary seats in the state, repeating the spectacular show of 2019.

The state's performance on the investment and Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) front was noteworthy.

The GSDP growth rate for 2023-24 was 8.23 percent (estimated to be Rs 27,21,571 crore), which was higher than the national average of 8.15 percent.

The state's per capita income is Rs 3.08 lakh, which is higher than the national average of Rs 1.84 lakh.

Online scams, 'digital arrests', a Scheduled Caste boy being attacked in Tirunelveli district, the incident of severing the sacred thread of a Brahmin boy, over 200 cases of online money frauds and other cyber crimes getting booked, victims of cyber scams losing Rs 1,116 crore from January to September, and 91,161 complaints received on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal were among the other key points of 2024.

The train accident at Kavaraipettai in October injuring 19 passengers, and Cyclone Fengal that crossed the coast near Puducherry on November 30 night devastating infrastructure, property and crops on a massive scale and the torrential rains triggering landslips in Thiruvannamalai for the first time in the state were disheartening factors.

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