With a mixture of rural and urban population, the district is often viewed as a ''decisive centre'' for political activities.

The voting pattern in the district has mostly remained uninfluenced by caste considerations, often nullifying the calculations of political parties. Mutharayars form the majority community in the district, which also has a significant population of Christians and Muslims.

Forming part of the Cauvery Delta and with a considerable number of small scale and medium industries, the anciliary units of the public sector giant, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), the Ordinance factory and Heavy Alloy Penetrator Project (HAPP) of the defence ministry, the district is essentially an agriculture-oriented and dominated by small farmers and agricultural labourers.

With the State set for the 13 rpt Assembly elections, arch rivals DMK and AIADMK, will lock horns in Tiruchirapalli-II, Musiri, Lalgudi, Uppiliyapuram (reserved) and Marungapuri Assembly constituencies, out of the total nine assembly segments in the district.

While the Congress, a key ally of DMK, will face Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK) in Thottiyam and AIADMK in Srirangam, DMK will clash with MDMK in Tiruchirapalli-I seat.

The founder of Moovendar Munnetra Kazhagam (MMK) M Sridhar Vandaiyar is expected to face a fierce battle with DMK in Tiruverambur constituency.

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