ALANGULAM

Alangulam constituency in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district saw significant political turbulence from 2021 to 2026, despite benefiting from several statewide development schemes. Paul Manoj Pandian (AIADMK) won the seat in 2021 by defeating DMK's Dr. Poongothai Aladi Aruna by 3,539 votes. During this period, the constituency received allocations under the MLA Constituency Development Scheme (₹702 crore annually for 2021-24) and benefited from state and central schemes including the Jal Jeevan Scheme (providing drinking water to over 7.15 lakh rural households statewide at ₹2,123 crore), PM Housing Scheme (3.30 lakh houses constructed in rural Tamil Nadu), and the Kalaignar Nagarpura Mempattu Thittam (₹1,000 crore urban development scheme). However, residents continued to face persistent civic issues including bad roads, irregular water supply requiring dependence on tankers, and environmental pollution from untreated sewage flowing into the Alangulam tank, causing health concerns. The constituency witnessed major political upheaval when MLA Paul Manoj Pandian was expelled from AIADMK in June 2022 along with O. Panneerselvam and R. Vaithilingam. After years in the expelled faction, Pandian resigned from the assembly in November 2025 and joined the DMK, creating a vacancy. He had earlier been summoned by the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission in 2018 regarding the probe into former CM Jayalalithaa's death. The AIADMK government also faced broader corruption allegations related to mining and electricity procurement during this period, with PMK filing 18 corruption charges with the Governor in 2015 that remained relevant to governance discussions. As voters prepare for the 2026 elections scheduled for April 23, 2026, they should consider both the statewide schemes that reached the constituency and the persistent local infrastructure problems that remained unresolved. The political instability caused by the MLA's party switch means there has been no sitting AIADMK representative for several months. Voters should evaluate whether development work materialized on the ground, particularly regarding drinking water supply, road conditions, and sewage management—issues that residents specifically highlighted as ongoing problems despite broader development initiatives.