Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2021, P Dhanapal profile: Legislative Assembly Speaker to contest from Avinashi seat

In the upcoming election, Speaker of Legislative Assembly and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader P Dhanapal, who has been renominated to contest from the Avinashi (Reserved) Assembly constituency, will face off against founder and president of the Aathi Thamizhar Peravai, R Athiyamaan fielded by the DMK front, who will be contesting elections for the first time.

As noted by The Hindu, both the candidates are from the Arunthathiyar community. As per the data from the Election Commission, the candidates from the AIADMK have won in Avinashi in all the four Assembly elections held from 2001. Dhanapal, who became the first Dalit Assembly Speaker in 2012, won from this seat in the 2016 Assembly elections with a margin of over 30,000 votes.

According to The NewsMinute, Dhanapal was elected Speaker in 2002 for the first time in the previous AIADMK regime. Also, he was the first Dalit to become Speaker after 1955.

Election date and timing

The Tamil Nadu Assembly polls will be held on 6 April 2021, along with Kerala and Puducherry. The day will also see phase three polls in Assam and West Bengal. 92,000 polling booths will be there for the assembly polls. The counting of the votes is scheduled for 2 May.

The official notification of the Assembly polls in the state is scheduled for 12 March. The nomination of candidates will be accepted from then till 19 March. The scrutiny of nominations will be done on 20 March and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is 22 March.

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has a total number of 234 seats, of which 45 are reserved constituencies (42 SC constituencies and 3 ST Constituencies). The current term of the Assembly ends on 24 May 2021.