Vanniyar Sangam

S. Ramadoss founded the Vanniyar Sangam in the late 1970s, bringing together a coalition of Vanniyar caste organisations. The Vanniyar Sangam is PMK's parent organisation.^[7][8] The Vanniyar Sangham organised the 1987 Vanniyar reservation agitation demanding Most Backward Caste (MBC) status for Vanniyars. At the peak of the protests, the state was paralysed for a week when thousands of trees were felled, highways blocked and damaged and more than 1,400 houses of the Dalit community were burned down.^[9] The police shot 21 protestors.^[7] Later, in 1989, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government led by M. Karunanidhi granted MBC status to the Vanniyars, with the associated reservation entitlements in education and employment.^[10]

PMK (1989–present)

Ramadoss founded the PMK on 16 July 1989,^[11] emerging from the Vanniyar reservation protests of 1987.^[12]

Ahead of the 2004 elections, PMK joined the Democratic Progressive Alliance, a broad Tamil political coalition which also included the DMK, Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian Union Muslim League. The party was able to obtain a significant share of power both in the regional government in Tamil Nadu and the Central Government due to the number of seats it obtained which helped the United Progressive Alliance (UPA-I ) to form the Government.

Following the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the PMK joined the United Progressive Alliance led by the INC. In June 2008, during the final months of the bitter relationship between the DMK and the PMK, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu severed its ties with the PMK, an outside supporter of the Karunanidhi Government.^[13] However, the DMK did not press for the party's removal from the UPA Government at the centre. On 26 March 2009, PMK declared that, it would join the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led front and left the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

Ramadoss and his son, Anbumani Ramdoss, were arrested by the Jayalalitha government for their inflammatory speeches, the PMK cadres indulged in violence in April 2013 causing property damages estimated worth ₹6,000,000,000.^[14] Jayalalitha likened the party to a “terrorist” organization and claimed they hurled petrol bombs on moving vehicles and caused damages to 850 vehicles including public buses. Jayalalithaa also threatened to ban the party.^[15] Ramadoss and his son were released after 12 days in prison.^[16]

PMK contested in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in an alliance with BJP-led NDA and its candidate Anbumani Ramadoss won the Dharmapuri Lok Sabha constituency, he was one of two non-AIADMK MPs from Tamil Nadu the other being from its ally BJP.^[17]

PMK continued its alliance with AIADMK and BJP in the 2019 Indian general election.^[18]

The Madras Institute of Developmental Studies (MIDS) and an reported that the PMK and the Hindu Munnani was involved in the 2019 Ponparappi violence where Dalit women were sexually abused and Dalit houses were attacked and damaged.^[19] An NGO Evidence also blamed PMK in the violence because the Dalit colony voted overwhelmingly for VCK.^[20]

In November 2020, Ramadoss called for a protest demanding 20% sub-quota for Vanniyars in education and jobs from December 1. Following this, more than 500 angry PMK cadres pelted stones on a moving train and blocked traffic when they were blocked from entering Chennai.^[21][22] A bill to create the 10.5% internal reservation to Vanniyars was passed on February 26, 2021, by the AIADMK government.^[23] The move was taken ahead of the April 6 assembly elections to appease the PMK, which had threatened to quit the coalition if their demand were not satisfied.^[24] In July 2021, the DMK government issued an order to implement 10.5% quota Bill for Vanniyars.^[24]

PMK contested in 23 seats in the AIADMK alliance in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election and won five seats by securing 4.04%.^[18] In the assembly, PMK voted in favour of anti-CAA and anti-farm-law resolutions, but AIADMK and BJP walked out over the matter.^[25] PMK left the AIADMK-led alliance for the 2021 local body polls.^[26]

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

Election Year	Election	Votes polled	Won	Change of Seats	Alliance	Result
1991	10th Assembly	145,982	1 / 194	1	None	Opposition
1996	11th Assembly	1,042,333	4 / 116	3	PMK+Tiwari	Opposition
2001	12th Assembly	1,557,500	20 / 27	16	AIADMK+	Government
2006	13th Assembly	1,863,749	18 / 31	2	DMK +	Government
2011	14th Assembly	1,927,783	3 / 30	15	DMK +	Opposition
2016	15th Assembly	2,300,775	0 / 234	3	None	Lost
2021	16th Assembly	1,756,796	5 / 23	5	NDA	Opposition

Lok Sabha election

Election Year	Election	Votes polled	Won	Change of Seats	Alliance	Result
1996	11th Lok Sabha	552,118	0 / 15	15	PT	Lost
1998	12th Lok Sabha	15,48,976	4 / 5	4	NDA	Government
1999	13th Lok Sabha	2,236,821	5 / 7	1	NDA	Government
2004	14th Lok Sabha	1,927,367	5 / 5	No Change	DPA	Government
2009	15th Lok Sabha	1,944,619	0 / 6	5	TF	Lost
2014	16th Lok Sabha	1,804,812	1 / 8	1	NDA	Government
2019	17th Lok Sabha	2,297,431[29]	0 / 7	1	NDA	Government

^{DPA - Democratic Progressive Alliance NDA - National Democratic Alliance TF - Third Front PT - PMK-Tiwari Congress Front}

Puducherry

Puducherry Legislative Assembly election

Election Year	Election	Votes polled	Won	Change of Seats	Alliance	Result
2006	2006 Pondicherry Legislative Assembly election	N.A.	2 / 30	2	DPA	Government

Lok Sabha election

Election Year	Election	Votes polled	Won	Change of Seats	Alliance	Result	Candidate
1999	13th Lok Sabha	140,920	0 / 1	No Change	NDA	Lost	M. Ramadass
2004	14th Lok Sabha	241,653	1 / 1	1	DPA	Government	M. Ramadass
2009	15th Lok Sabha	208,619	0 / 1	1	TF	Lost	M. Ramadass

^{DPA - Democratic Progressive Alliance NDA - National Democratic Alliance TF - Third Front PT - PMK-Tiwari Congress Front}