As the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded firebrand leader K Annamalai against the INDIA bloc candidate Ganapathi P. Rajkumar, the Coimbatore constituency saw a heated exchange and fierce three-cornered battle in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

As one of the saffron party’s major hopes in the southern state, the party has fielded its state chief asserting to open its first account in the parliamentary elections,  which it has never won so far. Dravidian dominant party DMK has fielded former city Mayor and DMK candidate P Ganapathy Rajkumar while Singai G Ramachandran is contesting on the ticket.

Notably, as the exit poll has predicted a 33 to 37 seat lead for the DMK-led INDIA bloc, it has shown that the Axis My India exit poll prediction has projected the DMK candidate P Ganapathy Rajkumar as victorious with a comfortably majority. However, the BJP candidate has shown confidence in winning the seat.

Earlier, the saffron party had won Tamil Nadu’s second-largest city as the party’s C. P. Radhakrishnan, in alliance with AIADMK, emerged victorious in the 1998 and 1999 general elections. Breaking its alliance with the AIADMK, this time, the BJP alone has been giving tough competition to the dominant Dravidian parties, by finding its place second in the constituency for the last two Lok Sabha elections.

The Prime Minister has personally reached and conducted mega road show in the southern state, eying to open its account in one of its potential constituencies.

As one of the fewest candidates where the saffron party has hoped the most, Coimbatore has been closely watched from across the nations.

CPI(M)’s P. R. Natarajan is the sitting MP and as a member of the INDIA bloc, the party has not fielded a candidate this time, backing its ally DMK’s Ganapathi P. Rajkumar. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections is also one of the notable contenders for the seat.