Tamil Nadu has always been secular in its ideas and the people here have a heritage of being tolerant towards all religions and sects. Even ancient history of Tamil Nadu shows that different religions and cultures co-existed peacefully in Tamil Nadu, with respect towards each other.

However, at the same time, regional politics have a crucial role in the politics of Tamil Nadu. South Indian Welfare Association was the first experiment with regional politics in Tamil Nadu. It was formed in 1916, and soon it came to be known as the Justice Party. Initially the Justice Party was not a political party in the strict sense. Its policies were more about reformation of the society. Periyar, the great revolutionary leader of Tamil Nadu, renamed it as Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944. It demanded the establishment of an independent state on linguistic lines known as Dravida Nadu.

However, growing differences between the two top leaders of this party, that is between Periyar and CN Annadurai, led to the splitting of the party. Annadurai formed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is popularly known as DMK. DMK entered the political fray in 1956.

After the independence, the political scenario in Tamil Nadu has gone through three phases. In the first phase, which lasted for two decades after independence, Congress ruled the state. The nationally popular Congress Party was in power immediately after independence and formed the first post independent state government in Tamil Nadu. Congress rule continued in the state until 1967.

Soon Karunanidhi's leadership was brought into question by M.G.Ramachandran, who is popularly referred to as MGR, and this led to another split. Difference of opinion and ideals made M G Ramachandran split to form another party - the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or AIDMK in 1972. He gained power in 1977, and was the Chief Mnister of the state from 1977-1987. He died in 1987, and his death led to more factionalism. The two factions were led by MGR's wife Janaki Ramachandran, and J.Jayalalithaa respectively. After the defeat of AIDMK in the1989 assembly polls, there was merger of these two factions, with J.Jayalalithaa being the leader of the AIDMK. She was elected as the General Secretary of the unified AIDMK.

In the late 1990s, several changes occurred in the political scenario of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Maanila Congress party was formed by members who split from the Congress party, while a split in the DMK saw the formation of the MDMK. The DMK and TMC formed an alliance while AIADMK and MDMK joined hands. In the recent years many political parties have come into the fray and their alliance with the major parties has given them the support of the population. Presently DMK-led alliance, under the leadership of Karunanidhi, is running the state and AIDMK and DMK are the major political parties of the state. AIDMK, under the leadership of J.Jayalalithaa, has served two terms in power, and during her tenures she had to face several criminal lawsuits and corruption charges.

To know more about Tamil Nadu visit: