Usilampatti in Madurai district has long been a politically influential constituency. In the 2021 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s P. Ayyappan won with 71,255 votes, defeating DMK’s P. V. Kathiravan by a margin of 7,477 votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s P. Neethipathi secured 1,06,349 votes, defeating DMK’s K. Ilamakezhan by 32,906 votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections, P. V. Kathiravan of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), contesting as part of the AIADMK alliance, won with 88,253 votes, defeating DMK’s S. O. Ramasamy. Historically, since the 1977 elections, the Forward Bloc has won the seat five times, while the AIADMK has secured four victories. The 234-seat Assembly election in Tamil Nadu will see the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, take on the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and a resurgent BJP-led alliance. The campaign is centred around issues such as welfare schemes, law and order, and the broader debate between Dravidian political identity and national integration narratives. While the DMK government is highlighting its record on industrial growth and social justice, the opposition has targeted it over allegations of corruption and concerns about power shortages.