The Thattanchavady constituency is back in the spotlight as former Chief Minister and All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) chief N. Rangasamy, after an interval of 10 years, is once again contesting from the Assembly segment for the April 6 election.
The constituency, which catapulted him to the pre-eminent position that he holds in the political sphere of the Union Territory as one of its longest serving Chief Ministers, will be his second constituency for the election, the other being Yanam.
This time, the three-time Chief Minister is up against young trade union leader and CPI nominee K. Sethu Selvam in the Thattanchavady constituency.
First electoral loss
After his first electoral loss from the constituency in 1990 against his political master, former Minister V. Pethaperumal, Mr. Rangasamy never looked back.
The former Chief Minister won subsequent elections from the segment in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006.
After the delimitation exercise in 2011, Mr. Rangasamy shifted to Indira Nagar, which he retained in the last two elections. The former Chief Minister is taking no chances, though the region has largely remained his bastion.
The AINRC chief has been campaigning actively in the constituency.
“For some people, there is confusion about who will become the Chief Minister after the alliance wins. There is no need for any confusion. I will be the Chief Minister,” he said while touring the constituency on Saturday and Sunday.
AINRC functionaries said the former Chief Minister decided to contest in two seats as he wanted to repeat his 2011 Assembly election win.
“ Makkal Mudhalvar [as he is referred to by his supporters] contested two seats in the 2011 election. The party won 15 of the 17 seats it contested in. He is a very religious person and gives importance to sentimental values,” said a sitting party legislator.
However, his rivals said the constituency was no longer Mr. Rangasamy’s bastion. They cite the defeat of P. Nedouzejiane, the AINRC’s candidate and Mr. Rangasamy’s close relative, in the bypoll held in 2019 after party legislator Ashok Anand got disqualified following his conviction in a disproportionate assets case.
In the bypoll, Mr. Nedouzejiane was defeated by K. Venkatesan, who contested on a DMK ticket and who has now shifted to the BJP, by a margin of 1,539 votes. “Mr. Rangasamy shifted to Yanam as he found that the constituency was not a safe place this time due to several factors,” Mr. Selvam said.
Mr. Selvam had contested the last Assembly election in alliance with the CPI(M) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). He finished in second place with 5,296 votes.
The CPI is banking on the four wards falling in the now non-existent Reddiarpalayam constituency, which was once represented by Communist stalwart and freedom fighter V. Subbiah. The constituency was also represented by party leaders such as R. Viswanathan and Gurusamy.
Main issues
According to P. Kathiravan, a resident of Vinoba Nagar, one of the main issues in the constituency is the non-allotment of pattas (title deed). Around 3,000 families have resided in rental buildings for years and they have been demanding patta for the land.
The area also lacks proper interior roads, added G. Johnson. “People are also affected by the rise in prices of petrol and diesel. On one side you have price rise and on the other, you have a lack of improvement in their means of livelihood.”
