Campaigning for the elections to the Tiruchi Corporation has gathered momentum with candidates plunging straight into canvassing for votes upon filing their nominations.
The buzz of political activity is increasingly getting louder over the past couple days, with candidates covering the nook and corners of their wards by foot in small groups, seeking to reach out to the voters.
Door-to-door visit
While candidates for the Corporation wards have taken up intensive door-to-door visits, those contesting for the Mayor post have commenced a ward-by-ward campaign in vehicles. The short period available for campaigning, given the late announcement of the polls for the Corporation and time taken by the parties to announce their candidates, has forced a hectic schedule on the candidates for the Mayor's post as they have to cover the length and breadth of the city over the next five to six days.
“The candidates have had little time to draw up their campaign strategy. With a majority of the candidates contesting the Mayor elections being new comers to electoral politics, they have to depend on experienced campaign managers of their parties,” says a senior councillor who has opted out of the elections this time.
With the Corporation's boundaries having expanded substantially with the merger of the Tiruverumbur Town Panchayat and four other neighbouring village panchayats, the candidates have their task cut out, many point out.
The concentration of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has largely been on the by-election to the Tiruchi West Assembly constituency. Nevertheless, the candidates of the two parties have started campaigning simultaneously for the both the elections. Candidates of the two parties contesting the civic polls have been joining the party's second rung leaders, who are engaged in a vigorous campaign for the by-election in the Tiruchi West segment.
VIP support
The AIADMK candidate for the Mayor election A.Jaya, for instance, has been campaigning along with M.Paranjothi, the party candidate for the by-election, in some places. Some of the others such as Rohaiah Beevi of the MDMK have started off by concentrating on enlisting the support of VIPs and minority community leaders before hitting the streets. But there are others who feel there was hardly any time left for this exercise anymore. “I have suggested to my party Mayor candidate to cover as much ground as possible by campaigning on an open jeep,” says A.Joseph Gerald, the DMDK candidate for ward 45.
The main thrust of the AIADMK campaign has been to seek the endorsement of the voters for the new schemes of the State government and unhindered flow of government funds to the civic body, while the DMK and Congress candidates have the onus of defending the performance of the incumbent elected representatives and seeking people's support for the continuation of their work. The DMDK and the MDMK have been trying to persuade the electorate to vote for change.
