The Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha constituency, lying in the southern-most tip of the country, is known not only for its geography but also its unique political turf owing to the equal proportion of Hindus and Christians. Religion overrides other considerations during elections here.
While Muslims and Christians together constitute 51% of the population, Nadars make up a substantial share of Hindu population, followed by Nairs, Vellalas and others. Polarisation on religious lines began in the 1980s after the communal riots in Mandaikadu.
Of the six Assembly constituencies, Colachal and Killiyoor belong to the Congress, while Kanniyakumari is with the AIADMK, Nagercoil is with the BJP and Padmanabhapuram, with the DMK. Vilavancode, which elected a Congress candidate three times, is lying vacant now, following the defection of its legislator S. Vijayadharani to the BJP.
Though minorities and the fishing community play a major role in choosing the winner here, the BJP has built a considerable support base over the period and a multi-cornered contest had resulted in the victory of BJP’s Pon. Radhakrishnan in 1999 and 2014.
A Christian candidate
While the constituency usually sees a two-cornered fight between the BJP and DMK, or the Congress, this time the AIADMK has fielded Pasilian Nazerath, a Christian who hails from the Catholic fishing community. He can create an impact on the poll outcome if he garners substantial votes from his community.
The Congress has fielded Vijay Vasanth, son of late H. Vasanthakumar and the incumbent MP of the constituency. He is also the cousin of BJP’s Chennai South candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan. The BJP has retained Mr. Radhakrishnan here again.
In the 2019 general election and the 2021 byelection, Congress candidates Vasanthakumar and Vijay Vasanth defeated Mr. Radhakrishnan.
Though there is a semblance of anti-incumbency wave, the fishermen and the minorities seem to be favouring the INDIA bloc. Already, Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council had released a statement appealing to all Christians in the State to vote for parties that promise to protect their livelihood.
Congress’s decision to field Tharahai Cuthbert, a woman from the fishing community, for the byelection to the Vilavancode Assembly constituency, could also work in favour of the party this general election. “As the Congress candidate is expected to garner votes of minorities and fishers in large numbers, the AIADMK’s decision to field a Christian from the fishing community can be game-changing,” said Kurumpanai Berlin of Neidhal Makkal Iyakkam, an organisation fighting for fishermen’s rights.
A senior-most leader
Mr. Radhakrishnan, who has faced several elections from the erstwhile Nagercoil Lok Sabha constituency, which is the present Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha constituency, is the senior-most leader of BJP in the State. He believes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the district would help him garner votes.
The national party also hopes that the AIADMK would split the votes and increase Mr. Radhakrishnan’s vote share.
The fourth and the new entrant in the fray, Maria Jennifer of the NTK, hails from the fishing community in the region. Though a newcomer to electoral politics, she was at the forefront of protests against illegal stone mining in the Western Ghats.
Fishermen in the region say that several of their demands remain unheard. “The State must ensure speedy construction of Thengapattanam fishing harbour in Kanniyakumari. If not, fishermen may die or get injured due to capsizing of boats in the harbour’s mouth,” says P. Justin Antony, Founder and President of International Fishermen Development Trust.
Some of their other demands include need for satellite phones, compensation for the death of fishermen in deep sea, fishing boats at subsidised rates, free higher education to poor students from fishermen families, holding of fisheries grievance day and issuing of international identity cards to fishermen.
