TN polls: M Karunanidhi has won all 12 contests so far, two by a whisker

Chennai, May 12: M Karunanidhi will contest the 13th Assembly election of his life on May 16 when Tamil Nadu will go to the polls. The DMK supremo and five-time chief minister of the southern state will contest from Tiruvarur, from where he had contested in 2011 and won by a record 50,249 votes.

The leader, popularly known as Kalaignar and will turn 92 on June 3, has perhaps an unmatched cent per cent success record in all the 12 elections that he have contested since 1957. As a 33-year-old, Karunanidhi had contested his first election in Kulithalai Assembly constituency which was then in the composite Tiruchi district (currently in Karur district). [Tamil Nadu poll results: 1952-2011]

During campaigning this year, Karunanidhi, who will become the oldest chief minister if the DMK manages to win this electoral battle, sought votes as an "elder brother" while his son and DMK treasurer MK Stalin said his father was the "son of the soil" and himself the "grandson of the soil".

Karunanidhi will be challenged by the AIADMK's ANR Panneerselvam and CPI's S Masilamani, who is said to be a leader with a mass appeal, and will have the backing of the third front---the People's Welfare Front. The Thiruvarur constituency has won by either the DMK or the CPI(M) over the years.

A brief look at all 12 elections Karunandhi has contested since 1957:

• Defeated K A Dharmalingam of the Congress by 8,296 votes at Kulithalai in 1957
  
• Defeated AYSP Nadar of the Congress by 2,828 votes at Thanjavur in 1962
  
• Defeated S G Vinayagamurthy of the Congress by 20,482 votes at Saidapet in 1967
  
• Defeated N Kamalingam of the Congress by 12,511 votes at Saidapet in 1971
  
• Defeated G Krishnamurthy of the AIADMK by 16,438 votes at Anna Nagar in 1977
  
• Defeated H V Hande of the AIADMK by 699 votes at Anna Nagar in 1980
  
• Did not contest the 1984 election
  
• Defeated K A Wahab of the Muslim League by 31,991 votes at Harbour in 1989
  
• Defeated K Suppu of the Congress by 890 votes at Harbour in 1991
  
• Defeated N S S Nellai Kannan of Congress by 35,784 votes at Chepauk in 1996
  
• Defeated R Damodaran of the Congress by 4,834 votes at Chepauk in 2001
  
• Defeated D Miakhan (Independent) by 8,526 votes at Chepauk in 2006
  
• Defeated M Rajendran of the AIADMk by 50,249 votes at Thiruvarur in 2011