The Karur Lok Sabha constituency, which has attracted the highest number of candidates among the 39 constituencies in the State, is witnessing a keen contest between AIADMK veteran and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha M. Thambi Durai and the young Congress challenger, S. Jothimani.
Months prior to the announcement of the Lok Sabha election, Mr. Thambi Durai, 72, sought to reach out to the voters by undertaking an extensive tour of the constituency to redress public grievances, and has since been straining every nerve to get elected for a fifth time from here.
Ms. Jothimani, 42, considered close to party president Rahul Gandhi, is not new to electoral battles. She unsuccessfully fought the 2014 election on a Congress ticket, when the party chose to go it alone in the State. However, this is the first time she is fighting the election under a formidable DMK alliance. Given the sea-change in the political climate in Karur and in the State as a whole, she has been touring the constituency with renewed vigour.
The constituency is spread over Karur, Krishnarayapuram and Aravakurichi Assembly segments in Karur district, Vedasandur in Dindigul district, Manapparai in Tiruchi district and Viralimalai in Pudukottai district.
Karur is a leading player in the global home textiles market, with an estimated annual business of ₹7,000 crore. It is also famous for the HDPE mosquito net manufacturing and bus coach building industries. However, a section of entrepreneurs feels it is yet to recover from the impact of demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Though the textiles industry is the primary source of economic development in the region, indiscriminate discharge of effluents from dyeing units into waterbodies, especially into Amaravati and Noyyal rivers, continues to worry farmers. They complain that the Common Effluent Treatment Plants are ineffective.
A cross-section of voters complains that Mr. Thambi Durai failed to use his good offices to influence the National Highways Authority of India in accelerating the development of the Karur-Coimbatore and Karur-Tiruchi national highway sections.
Acute drinking water scarcity is a major grievance among residents in many parts of the constituency. There have been instances of voters questioning Mr. Thambi Durai for failing to address water scarcity. “As a long-time MP of the constituency, he is aware of our suffering. But the problem persists,” says M. Velu, 55, of Mylampatti.
AIADMK bastion
The constituency, which was a stronghold of the Congress until 1984, has been a bastion of the AIADMK for a long time. Except in 2004 and 1996, AIADMK candidates have emerged victorious since 1989. Mr. Thambi Durai was elected to the Lok Sabha four times from Karur on an AIADMK ticket.
The AIADMK leader is pinning his hopes on the traditional vote bank of the AIADMK in all six segments of the constituency, and is seeking to leverage the legacy of former Chief Ministers M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. Party members recall his leadership role in highlighting various issues concerning the State in Parliament.
Ms. Jothimani has a clean image and is riding on goodwill. She is articulate, has focused on the ‘failures’ of Mr. Thambi Durai and the “negative impact” of the Modi government, citing issues like demonetisation and GST. She too has invoked the legacy of her party, especially that of the Gandhi family. Her campaign has been bolstered by the organisational skills and strategies of former Minister V. Senthil Balaji, who recently switched over to the DMK from the AMMK.
The AMMK has fielded district secretary N. Thangavel, who has the potential to divide the traditional AIADMK votes and those of the dominant Gounder community, in a constituency where 42 candidates are in the fray.
