There was no sense of urgency in Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar on Sunday morning even on the arterial Tiruvottiyur High Road. Flags of various political parties dotted the party offices but campaigning for the assembly byelection on April 12 was low-key.
The temporary campaign offices of the DMK, the two AIADMK factions, the newly launched MGR Amma Deepa Peravai and the BJP were rather quiet. In a bylane, a group of people carried placards with the electric pole symbol on which E. Madhusudhanan of the AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi) is contesting. The office of J. Deepa, general secretary of the Peravai, is a car workshop on normal days. A group of artists hired to entertain the audience during campaign trail was relaxing. “We perform only in the evening. We have created songs on Deepa amma and dance for puratchi thalaivar and amma songs to entertain the crowd,” said Mallika Sakthivel, head of the 10-member group, adding that they are paid ₹7,000 per day.
Supporters from Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Dindigul, Madurai, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri were clueless about when Ms. Deepa would arrive. According to the itinerary she should have visited 10 localities from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. But she did not come until 10 a.m. Local party workers boarded an open van and began their campaign of Ward 39 and 40 around 10.30 a.m.
Her staunch supporters, however, say she will win. “She has self-confidence and fought the family alone when amma died. We admire her courage,” says P.P. Saminathan, a party official from Kabilar Malai in Namakkal district. R.K. Nagar has designated pockets where one or the other party has a strong support base. Arunachaleswar Main Road itself is divided into three groups - the southern end has Deepa supporters; the norther end of the road has some support for T.T.V. Dinakaran, of the AIADMK (amma) and in some bylanes here huge DMK party flags signal their preference. A few long-time AIADMK supporters plan to abstain from voting as the party had split.
