ABSTRACT
The role of M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) in the electoral politics of the Dravidar Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) during this period was two-fold he was one of the main sources of finance for the party, and a charismatic campaigner. An in-depth analysis of the people's voting pattern based on the available election results testifies to the fact that the people have been image discriminative and have always chosen the best option possible. The media scholars, overwhelmed by the prevalence of cinema and the popularity of cine stars, have been too quick to conclude that the screen image exerts a sweeping influence also over the voting behaviour of the people. For the purposes of the analysis the elections from 1957 till 2014 could be divided into five 'eras', the era of radicalism-turned-rhetoric, the era of promise-turned-pathos, the era of gender politiking, the era of minor parties, and the era of alternative-turned-ally.
