| Party Name: | Puthiya Tamilagam |
| Abbreviation: | PT |
| General Secretary: | K. Krishnasamy |
| Founder: | K. Krishnasamy |
| Headquarters: | Pothigai Illam, 1/2A, VGM Street, Nungambakkam, Chennai – 600034, Tamil Nadu, India. |
| Students: | PT Students' Wing |
| Youth: | PT Youth Wing |
| Women: | PT Women's Wing |
| Ideology: | Nationalism Social equity |
| Position: | Centre-right |
| Colours: | Red Green |
| Eci: | Unrecognised party |
| Alliance: | AIADMK-led Alliance |
| State Seats Name: | Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly |
| Party Flag: | Puthiya Tamilagam Party Flag.jpg |
| Website: | www.ptparty.org |
The Puthiya Tamilagam (; PT) is an Indian regional political party in Tamil Nadu. It was founded by the former member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly K. Krishnasamy on 15 December 1997.[1]
Post the formation of the party in the end of 1997, the general assembly of the party decided to contest the 1998 Indian general election without any alliance. The party contested in fifteen constituencies in Tamilnadu such as:Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Sivakasi, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Periyakulam, Dindigul, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Pollachi, Tiruchengode, Rasipuram and Chennai Central constituencies.
The party joined the Tamil Maanila Congress alliance for the 1999 Indian general election. The alliance comprised parties such as Janata Dal, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Indian Union Muslim League and Kamaraj Aadhithanar Kazhagam. The party contested in ten constituencies with "Bullock Cart" symbol allocated to it.
For the 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, the party joined the Democratic Progressive Alliance comprising Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Bharatiya Janata Party, and a few caste based parties. The party contested ten seats in lock symbol.
For the 2004 Indian general election, the party joined the People's Alliance comprising Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Makkal Tamil Desam Katchi, Janata Dal (United), Indian National League and Puratchi Council. The party was allocated two seats to contest in "Arrow" symbol.
The party made an alliance pact with Bahujan Samaj Party and contested 53 seats in "Elephant" symbol.The party also decided to contest in a few unresrved constituencies.
For the 2011 state elections, it allied with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party and won two seats: The party President Dr.K. Krishnasamy secured 71,330 votes in Ottapidaram constituency and A. Ramaswamy secured 75,124 votes in Nilakkottai constituency.[3]
The 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party aligned with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam as part of the Democratic Progressive Alliance. It contested the lone seat of Tenkasi constituency, where the party President Dr.K. Krishnasamy lost by 161,774 votes to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate, M. Vasanthi.
The party allied with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for the 2016 state assembly elections as part of the Democratic Progressive Alliance. The party contested the seats of Ottapidaram, Srivilliputhur, Krishnarayapuram and Vasudevanallur.
For the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the partu joined the AIADMK-BJP-PMK-DMDK alliance in Tamil Nadu as part of the National Democratic Alliance. The party was allocated one constituency to contest.
For the 2011 state elections, the party contested alone in 55 seats in Tamil Nadu. The highest number of votes was 6,544, which was acquired by the party president Dr.K. Krishnasamy in Ottapidaram Assembly constituency.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Puthiya Tamilagam joined the AIADMK-led Alliance in Tamil Nadu.[5]
| No | Year | Election | Member | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | 14th Assembly | K. Krishnasamy | Ottapidaram | |
| 2 | 2011 | 14th Assembly | A. Ramasamy | Nilakottai |
| Year | Party leader | Alliance | Seats contested | Seats won | Seats +/- | Vote % (in Tamil Nadu) | Total Votes Polled | Vote swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Dr.K. Krishnasamy | None | 6 | 1 | 0.33% | 89,772 | 0.33 | |
| 2001 | DPA | 10 | 1 | 1.27% | 3,55,171 | 0.94 | ||
| 2006 | None | 53 | 0.50% | 1,62,029 | 0.77 | |||
| 2011 | AIADMK+ | 2 | 2 | 0.40% | 1,46,454 | 0.37 | ||
| 2016 | SPA | 4 | 2 | 0.51% | 2,19,830 | 0.11 | ||
| 2021 | None | 55 |
| Year | Lok Sabha | Party leader | Alliance | Seats contested | Seats won | Seats +/- | Vote % (in Tamil Nadu) | Total Votes Polled | Vote swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 11th Lok Sabha | Dr.K. Krishnasamy | None | 2 | 0.38% | 1,00,994 | New | ||
| 1998 | 12th Lok Sabha | None | 15 | 1.74% | 4,46,583 | 1.36 | |||
| 1999 | 13th Lok Sabha | TMC Alliance | 10 | 2.09% | 5,68,196 | 0.35 | |||
| 2004 | 14th Lok Sabha | People's alliance | 5 | 0.44% | 1,28,252 | 1.65 | |||
| 2009 | 15th Lok Sabha | None | 1 | 0.38% | 1,16,685 | 0.06 | |||
| 2014 | 16th Lok Sabha | DPA | 1 | 0.66% | 2,62,812 | 0.28 | |||
| 2019 | 17th Lok Sabha | NDA | 1 | 0.83% | 3,55,870 | 0.17 | |||
| 2024 | 18th Lok Sabha | AIADMK+ | 1 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |