CPI leader P.L. Sundaram, who is seeking re-election from the Bhavani Sagar constituency, and his rivals have to sweat it out to meet voters. While the candidates might be able to cover about two-thirds of the 2,37,600 voters of the constituency within a radius of 25 km, to meet the remaining 65,000, who stay in the hilly regions, they would have to traverse at least 125 km.
“The time, expenditure and efforts get doubled when it comes to campaigning on the hills where the roads are bad,” Mr. Sundaram says. He has already started reaching out to the people in the remote hamlets around Thalamalai, Thalavadi and Kadambur.
DMK candidate Sathya says she has already completed a whirlwind tour of the three areas, while her AIADMK rival, Eashwaran, agrees the campaign will indeed be a drawn-out activity. Because of the rugged terrain of the hills that adjoin the Nilgiris district on the one side and the Karnataka border on the other, the candidates will be able to meet fewer people. Besides, poor connectivity between the hamlets is a major problem.
Another challenge for the candidates is speaking to the Kannada-speaking people in Thalavadi and Hassanur. There are difficulties involved in campaigning in the forest settlements, the cadre say.
Mohan Kumar, campaign manager of Mr. Sundaram, said the party was managing the situation by printing pamphlets in both Tamil and Kannada. The younger generation of Kannada-speaking people in Thalavadi area has picked up Tamil well, but the older people can be reached out only through Kannada, Mr. Mohan Kumar explained.
The candidates have to draw up a tight itinerary to cover voters in Sathyamangalam, Bhavani Sagar, Bangalapudur, Bannari and Puliampatti areas in the plains, and Kadambur, Talamalai, Thalavadi, Chikkahalli, Hassanur, Kottadai, Germalam, and Thingalur on the hills.
Meanwhile, for candidates seeking to enter the Assembly from the Palani constituency, it will be quite a task to brave Maoist threats and go into remote villages on hilly terrains.
Several tribal people in remote villages have never seen their candidates during elections.
Voters in Periyur and Chinnur in Vellakavi panchayat, 12 km from Vattakanal in Kodaikanal, were in fact surprised to see the DMK candidate I.P. Senthil Kumar. Even election officials use mules to transport poll materials to these places.
Clad in blue jeans and white shirt, Mr. Senthil Kumar, started climbing up the rocky slopes from the Sothu Parai dam in Periyakulam block in Theni district to meet tribal voters. Having trekked for six hours, he and his campaign team reached Periyur village and met people sitting before dilapidated thatched shelters.
“The struggle I underwent to reach here is nothing compared to the pathetic living conditions of the people here,” says Mr. Senthil Kumar.
( With inputs from K. Raju )
