Fancifully named ‘Little England’ by the British for its cool weather, the picturesque Thally constituency grapples with severe underdevelopment on the one hand and increasing man-animal conflict on the other.
Thally constituency inclusive of a backward block like Kelamangalam and its most backward panchayats like Bettamugilalam, and Kodagarai is known for high incidence of child marriages, early and multiple pregnancies, maternal mortality, and home deliveries.
The block continues to pose a challenge to social workers on the human development index front. But with basic infrastructural gaps of un-navigable terrains in hilly areas, lack of electricity, drinking water, and absence of accessible primary healthcare - the other social issues that concern women are rendered peripheral.
Human-elephant conflict is the primary electoral issue for this constituency. Crop depredation by elephants and in some places by wild boars, and rising number of human casualties caused by elephants are a festering concern both for tribals and non-tribals alike.
The main candidates here have vowed to ensure adequate compensation for crop depredation caused by elephants. The seat is contested by Nagesh of AIADMK, T.Ramachandran of the BJP, Thally Ramachandran of the CPI (PWF) and Y.Prakash of the DMK.
However, it is largely a two-cornered contest between the CPI and the DMK.
The political presence here is based less on the political party and more on the contesting individual. The incumbent MLA Thally Ramachandran had won the seat as an independent in 2006. In 2010, he contested on a CPI ticket and won.
He is making a bid for a third term, on CPI ticket, under the People’s Welfare Front.
With a predominant Kannada speaking electorate, with mix of Lingayats, and Gowdas and a significant tribal population, voting is presumed to be unaffected by caste factor. Yet, all four candidates in the fray are Gowdas.
Mr. Prakash hopes to bank on the ‘change’ card. His campaign rests on the underdevelopment of Thally, despite the incumbent holding the seat for two successive terms. “There is no hospital, no roads or transport facilities here,” says Mr.Prakash, who was the runner-up in 2011. Mr. Ramachandran credits significant infrastructure to his term. Both are viewed as easily accessible.
For BJP’s Ramachandran, inner party rumblings locally pose a potential threat. A section of the cadre was reportedly displeased with his candidature.
The treacherous geographical terrain, and the gnawing underdevelopment of Thally poses a serious challenge to whoever the winner might be.
