estled amidst the verdant Western Ghats, Bodinayakanur is one of the gateways to Tamil Nadu when one is travelling to the State from the hill station of Munnar in Kerala.
Famous for its coffee and cardamom, Bodi — known as the ‘seat of zamindars’ — launched Chief Minister Jayalalithaa into the political orbit in 1989. In fact, it has voted for the ruling party in six out of the 11 Assembly elections held since 1967. So, it was not a surprise when former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam scored an easy victory after shifting there from his home turf of Periyakulam after it became a reserved constituency post-delimitation.
However, five years down the line things look a lot different and the game seems to have turned on its head. Instead of the usual election cacophony, there is an eerie silence. Box speakers play songs only when candidates visit the villages. The summer heat has forced candidates to campaign for a few hours in the morning and after sundown. In many villages, flags and festoons are missing.
In the village of Badrakalipuram, there is not even a single poster, flag or graffiti. “This has been our practice for the last 36 years. We ask people to vote as per the dictates of their conscience,” says M. Kaliappa Thevar, a senior resident.
But, according to locals, the going is getting tougher by the day for Mr. Panneerselvam. In relative terms, OPS is not considered a non-performer by voters. Due to the Minister’s efforts, the constituency now has an engineering college, an arts college, a polytechnic institute and an ITI.
The Minister also extended the 18{+t}{+h}canal to meet the irrigation needs of villages in the Thevaram and Bodi panchayat unions, and built a bridge across the Vaigai in Duraisamypuram.
A party functionary says that OPS is always aware of the fact that the constituency was represented by Ms. Jayalalithaa in 1989. Since there was a possibility of her return to Bodi, he did his best to enhance basic infrastructure.
But, this time the Minister is facing criticism for being inaccessible. That, coupled with the view that is seen as an outsider, is not helping his cause.
“He did not even come to thank us for voting for him,” says C. Arumugam of B. Meenakshipuram, from where the caste clashes of 1989 spread over to Madurai district. For voters like V. Muthiah of Dombucheri, OPS is an outsider. “He will go back to Chennai after the election. But S. Lakshmanan, the DMK candidate, is from nearby Rasingapuram.”
But, the former Minister’s presence is required in Chennai throughout the term, the AIADMK campaign managers say in response.
While Mr. Panneerselvam is banking on the government’s achievements, especially on the welfare front, Mr. Lakshmanan comes across someone who is more approachable at any time of the day. “The DMK candidate has our sympathy. We can approach him any time,” says M. Natarajan, a voter in Bodi.
The anger is also palpable in B. Meenakshipuram, an AIADMK stronghold. “We have strong faith in Jayalalithaa, but we cannot say that for Mr. Panneerselvam, who, we believe, has lost Amma’s trust,” says R. Murugan, a panchayat ward councillor.
“In the last election, we were very confident of his victory,” says party functionary K. Palanivel. “This time, it is an even ground.”
Vote dynamics
Votes are expected to get split on caste lines. Mr. Panneerselvam’s supporters are confident of reaping the votes of Maravar strongholds, but do not know which way the Kallars, one of the Mukkulathor triumvirate, will go.
While the DMDK candidate, A. Veerabadran, is also likely to split the ruling party’s votes in some pockets, Dalit votes may mostly go to the two major parties.
There are 23 candidates in the fray, including A. Venkateswaran of the BJP, P. Anbalagan of the Naam Thamizhar Katchi and A. Ramakrishnan of the PMK.
K. Thangam, a businessman, echoes the sentiments of voters. “We want a change this time,” he says.
For voters like V. Muthiah, OPS is an outsider. “He will go back to Chennai after polls,” he says.
