Pattali Makkal Katchi(PMK)

Pattali Makkal Katchi, popularly called PMK, is a regional political party of India as approved by the Election Commission. Its mass base is primarily in the state of Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1989, the Pattali Makkal Katchi operates on the political ideologies of Social Democracy and Populism. Its regional appeal lies in the fact that it caters to the interests of the common man in Tamil Nadu, especially the poor sections of the population such as peasants, workers and the middle-class in general. The PMK is a party that was carved out to serve the demands of the Vanniyar community in Tamil Nadu, the single largest community in the state. Belonging to the backward castes, most of the Vanniyars traditionally belonged to the agricultural labouring class. Their interests have been guarded by the PMK since 1989.

The founder of the party is S. Ramadoss, who had first founded the Vanniyar Sangam in 1980. In fact, the PMK can be said to be a transformed faction of the Vanniyar Sangam after the earlier succeeded in securing 20% reservation of the Vanniyars, the Most Backward Classes (MBC) in the state. PMK works primarily in the interest of the Vanniyars, who make up a total of 20% of the population in northern Tamil Nadu. The PMK demand to bifurcate the state of Tamil Nadu was unattended as it was seen as a casteist decision.

At the Centre, the Pattali Makkal Katchi was in a coalition with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from 1998-2004, when it shifted alliance to the United Progressive Alliance from 2004. Apart from a brief period in between, when it became an active member of the Third Front coalition from 2009 to 2010, PMK has maintained its coalition with the UPA till at present. At the regional front, the Pattal Makkal Katchi joined Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA), a broad Tamil front in 2004. But due to ideological differences, the PMK severed ties with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) which has been a prominent member of the DPA. In 2009, the Pattali Makkal Katchi came into alliance with the AIADMK.

The PMK entered its 25th year of existence this June, after a brief period of existential crisis in 2011, when it was doubted if the party would retain its status as a regional political party. The PMK promises to end Dravidian rule in the south of India by broadening its base in the state. The President of the party is G.K. Mani.

Election Symbol and its Significance

The Election Symbol of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, as approved by the Election Commission of India, is the “Mango”. Mango in the symbol, is seen as having two side leaves at the top. It is usually drawn on a tri-coloured party flag, which has a blue top strip, followed by a yellow middle strip and an orange lower strip. As is known, the Mango is the National Fruit of India. The use of this symbol by the PMK attests to its call for unity of all the Vanniyars from across the country, in spite of the community’s dense concentration in the state of Tamil Nadu. The use of the Mango symbol is representational of the party’s strength in nationalist appeals of all backward classes for which the PMK claims to hold a strong struggle.

In mythology and religious dogma, the mango symbol is used to mean love, faith and integrity. Mentioned in Sanskrit texts as being one of the oldest fruits existent for over 4000 years, the mango depicts good health and fortune. The leaves of the mango attached on a fruit are symbolic of wealthy home-coming. The PMK’s use of the mango caters to each of these symbolisms, as it pulls in a massive number of the Hindu Vanniyar community, besides also appealing to oppressed minority sections such as the Muslims. The Mango symbol, therefore, indicates towards the party’s appeal for unity, through which it must propagate love, faith and fortune to the less privileged sections of the society. The party’s ideology of Social Democracy, attempts to build a vast consensus among the people through its mass base, resting on populist measures and appeals.

Leaders of Pattali Makkal Katchi

The leaders of Pattali Makkal Katchi, who are also the national executives of the party are listed below:

• S. Ramadoss, Founder-Leader of PMK
  He has remained the basic strength of the party, and an important ally in both regional and national level politics in the country. Ramadoss was previously associated with the Vanniyar Sangam or Vanniyar Union.
• G.K. Mani, President of PMK
• Mohamed Amukurajuddin, Leader of minority wing of PMK
• Anbumani Ramadoss, Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
  He is the son of S. Ramadoss and former Union Minister of Health. His important contributions include his leadership in the Pasumai Thayagam (Green Motherland) Movement, which has found wide acceptance among the people of the land.
• N.T. Shanmugam, Former Minister of State for Food Processing Industries
  He has remained a member of the Lok Sabha from the Vellore constituency in Tamil Nadu in the 1998-99 elections.
• A.K. Moorthy, Former Union Minister
  As a Member of Parliament of the 14th Lok Sabha, Moorthy represented the Chengalpattu constituency of Tamil Nadu.
• Rangasamy Velu, Former Union Minister of Railways
  He was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha, representing the Arakkonam constituency of Tamil Nadu. He remained in the Railway Ministry from 2004 to 2009.

Achievements of the Party

• As a regional political party, the Pattali Makkal Katchi has had a number of achievements. Some of these are listed below: The Pattali Makkal Katchi has under its banner, a number of frontal mass organizations such as the PMK Minority Wing, the PMK Youth Wing and the PMK Students Federation, each of which have fought for interests of the various sections it caters to.


• One of the most phenomenal contributions of the PMK is in its Union Minister’s efforts to improve the rural healthcare facilities of people across the country, especially women and children. It was to this end that Anbumani Ramadoss as a Health Minister established the famous National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005. This government initiation brought massive development to the rural poor, in terms of better medical facilities and enhanced treatments.
• Ramadoss has been a strong advocate of the anti-tobacco campaigns, and it was his concerted efforts which made ads against the sale of tobacco mandatory in television or in movies. As a Health Minister, he implemented strict measures to control sale of tobacco and alcohol in the country. His strong advocacy banned the drinking and smoking of alcohol and tobacco, or their respective advertisements in and around educational institutes or in the interest of the public.

Address and Contact Details

• Official Website of PMK - http://www.pmkparty.in/
• Head-Office Address of PMK - Villupuram District, Tindivanam, Chennai - 604001, Tamil Nadu
• Phone No: 04147- 222709

Status of Top Leaders of Pattali Makkal Katchi for 2014 Lok Sabha Elections

The table below shows the result of all the famous political leaders of the Pattali Makkal Katchi(PMK) for the Lok Sabha Election Results 2014