The CPI in Tamil Nadu allied with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam as part of the Democratic Progressive Alliance for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections . The party was allocated two seats to contest under the terms of agreement , from which Subbarayan was selected to fight Coimbatore . The seat , whose economy was largely based on a textile industry that was contracting due to recession , had been won in 1998 and 1999 by C. P. Radhakrishnan of the Bharatiya Janata Party . Aside from issues relating to unemployment , a major local issue in the 2004 campaign was the situation regarding drought and water supplies . Radhakrishnan 's past success had come from exploiting communal tensions caused by a bombing campaign in the area by the now-banned Islamic fundamentalist Al Ummah group but this was no longer a significant issue
bombing campaign in the area
1998 Coimbatore bombings
K. Subbarayan