AIADMK candidate P. Karuppaiah at an election rally in Tiruchi on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: M. MOORTHY
The curtains came down on a short but intense campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in the central region on Wednesday. Candidates of various political parties criss-crossed their constituencies in a hectic last-minute attempt to enlist the support of voters.
On the last day, most candidates raced against time to reach out to as many voters as possible by going around the constituencies in vehicles. Campaigning reached a crescendo over the past week in the six Lok Sabha constituencies of Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Karur and Perambalur.
DMK’s K .N. Arun Nehru and IJK founder T .R .Paarivendhar; MDMK’s Durai Vaiko and AIADMK’s P .Karuppaiah, brother of Karikalan, who was under the ED scanner recently in connection with alleged illegal sand mining; sitting MP S. Jothimani and State Mahalir Congress President R. Sudha are among the candidates who are testing their political fortunes in the central region this election.
Interestingly, both Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami started their campaign for their polls in Tiruchi. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi chose to skip the region this time.
Mr. Modi visited Tiruchi twice in January, first to open the new airport terminal and participate in the convocation of Bharathidasan University and later to offer worship at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam. He was widely expected to campaign in Perambalur constituency but the visit did not materialise. However, BJP president J .P .Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman conducted road shows and addressed election rallies at a few places in the region.
Mr. Gandhi was also expected to visit Karur or Mayiladuthurai as Ms. Jothimani and Ms. Sudha are considered to be among his close associates. However, the INDIA bloc campaign in the region was largely handled by the regional leaders of the alliance parties.
On Wednesday, most of the candidates took up whirlwind campaign trips on open vehicles accompanied by cadre of their parties and their allies on two-wheelers.
In Tiruchi, political parties and candidates reachied out to the voters by conducting road shows in different parts of the constituency. There are 35 candidates in the fray for the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency consisting of Tiruchi (East), Tiruchi (West), Srirangam, Pudukottai, and Gandharvakottai Assembly segments. While Durai Vaiko, principal secretary of MDMK, which is part of INDIA bloc, is taking on P. Karuppaiah of AIADMK, AMMK, which is part of the National Democratic Alliance, has fielded P. Senthilnathan, and N. Rajesh is the Naam Tamzhilar Katchi nominee.
As a show of strength, the candidates took out mass rallies in Tiruchi and Pudukottai to woo voters. The rally of the INDIA bloc in support of Mr. Durai Vaiko began at Central Bus Stand. A large number of cadres of the DMK, the Congress, the MDMK, the CPI and the CPI (M0 took part in the rally. Since Mr. Durai Vaiko was allotted an independent symbol, most of them carried the placards bearing matchbox symbol in order to popularise it to the voters. It went along GH Road, Woraiyur, Salai Road, Karur Bypass Road, Melachinthamani, Mambalasalari, Srirangam, Thiruvanaikoil and culminated at Gandhi Market,
Appealing to the voters to support his candidature, Mr. Durai Vaiko said that he would be forefront in the Parliament in raising the issues of the State and in particular the Tiruchi constituency. Mr. Karuppai chose to wind-up his three weeks long campaign by seeking votes in front of the Rajagopuram of Sri Ranganathaswami Temple in Srirangam. A large number of cadres belonging to the AIADMK and the DMDK followed the candidate, who took up a rally before winding up his campaign. The rally covered many parts in Tiruchi city.
In Karur, former Minister M.R. Vijayabaskar led a motorbike rally, seeking support of Mr. Thangavel in Karur town. Several cadres of the AIADMK and the DMDK took part in the rally that went around important parts of Karur. Similarly, the Congress and the DMK cadres also conducted a mass rally to canvass votes for Ms. Jothimani in the town.
A total of 54 candidates are in the fray for the Karur Lok Sabha constituency including Ms. Jothimani, L. Thangavel of the AIADMK and V.V. Senthilnathan of the BJP are among the candidates.
Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar led a rally in support of VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, the party candidate for the Chidambaram constituency, in Ariyalur. Cadres of the DMK, the VCK, the MDMK and others took part in it.
AIADMK members took out a motorbike rally that went around important roads and streets of Ariyalur. District secretary Thamarai S. Rajendran led the rally.
Fourteen candidates are in the fray in Chidambaram constituency that consists of Ariyalur, Jayankondam, Kunnam, Chidambaram, Kattumannarkoil and Bhuvanagiri Assembly segments. M. Chandrahassan of AIADMK and P. Karthiyayini of BJP are among those in the fray in the constituency.
