The MDMK’s quest to reclaim the Tiruchi Lok Sabha seat after two decades by fielding Durai Vaiko, 51 — the son of the party’s general secretary Vaiko, — and the party’s insistence on contesting on its own symbol, albeit a new one, has put the spotlight on the constituency this general election.
An intense political battle is brewing in Tiruchi as Mr. Durai Vaiko is pitted in a four-cornered contest against P. Karuppaiah, also a political novice from the AIADMK, P. Senthilnathan, till recently an AMMK councillor, and D. Rajesh, a pro-jallikattu activist of the NTK.
The possibility of a significant split in votes looms large as former Tiruchi Mayor Sarubala R. Tondaiman, of the AMMK, had polled over one lakh votes in the 2019 general election and the NTK’s candidate secured over 65,000 votes. With the MDMK being allotted this seat in the DMK alliance, at the expense of the incumbent Congress MP Su. Thirunavukkarasar, there is a lot of pressure on Mr. Durai Vaiko. The loss of the party’s ‘top’ symbol and its refusal to be persuaded to contest on the DMK’s ‘Rising Sun’ symbol had raised the prospect of possible strain in relations between the cadre of the two parties on the field. Mr. Durai Vaiko, however, has been dismissive of such apprehensions and does not foresee any problem in working together with the DMK, and other allies, in popularising the new ‘matchbox’ symbol among voters in the age of social media.
He will also have to contend with the ‘outsider tag’, though the electorate in Tiruchi has repeatedly returned candidates hailing from other parts of the State. His opponents, especially Mr. Senthilnathan, has been playing up the ‘outsider card’ and touts his familiarity with the issues of the constituency as one of his strong points. Mr. Karuppaiah, 40, a contractor from Gandharvakottai in the neighbouring Pudukotai district, is no stranger to the constituency either.
The constituency straddles urban pockets and an agriculture belt from the Cauvery delta on the one side to the largely dry and rain-fed tracts of Pudukottai district on the other. It has an eclectic mix of castes and communities, and returned candidates of Congress and the Left parties between 1957 and 1996, barring 1980 when N. Selvaraj of the DMK won.
Late Rangarajan Kumaramangalam breathed life into the BJP here by winning two successive elections in 1998 and 1999 [in alliance with the AIADMK and the DMK respectively], putting an end to Congress strongman L. Adaikalaraj’s winning streak in four elections from 1984. The AIADMK won the 2001 byelection, only to lose the seat to the MDMK in 2004. The AIADMK reclaimed the seat in 2009 and managed to retain it in 2014, before the Congress made a comeback in 2019.
Despite its advantages of being an education hub and a strategic location, Tiruchi is widely seen to have fallen behind other tier-II cities in infrastructure development. “It is high time the infrastructural limitations here are addressed. We need a capable MP who can address some of the projects and proposals that have been hanging fire for long,” said H. Ghouse Baig, a consumer activist.
Activists have a long list of expectations on the infrastructure front, right from the runway expansion of the Tiruchi International Airport, the unfinished semi-ring road for the city, better rail connectivity and public healthcare facilities and the much-anticipated metro rail. The slow progress in the Cauvery-Gundar-Vaigai inter-linking project due to poor allocation of funds has caused frustration among farmers in Pudkukottai.
Tiruchi’s claim of being a fabrication hub of the country has also come under threat in the recent years. At its peak, the industry had over 450 small and medium units, most of them doing job works for the public sector power equipment major, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. Just about 80-90 units are active. Though the thermal power sector and BHEL are witnessing a turnaround, which is expected to translate into orders for them, MSMEs are not entirely happy. “We still face a variety of issues due to the tendering procedure adopted by the BHEL, such as elimination of the highest bidder and reverse bidding; upfront GST payment for conversion orders; and the steep hike in the fixed power charges,” said D. Mohan, president, BHEL Small and Medium Industries Association.
The much talked about rehabilitation package to revive sick units and proposed the Defence Corridor remain on paper.
