For Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, much is at stake on his home turf of Edappadi in Salem district. He is contesting from the seat for the sixth time since 1989, having lost in 2006 to V. Kaveri of the PMK.
For the first time, the constituency itself will vote for a chief ministerial candidate, whose stint at the helm will be under scrutiny even in his backyard.
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The constituency has undoubtedly benefited much with the Chief Minister as its representative in the Assembly. In his campaign, Mr. Palaniswami has not missed any opportunity to highlight rapid development in the region, including new flyovers, the Mettur surplus water scheme and the establishment of a livestock research institute in the district. Much as he denies, political watchers say he will have to reckon with resentment among farmers over development — land acquisition for the green corridor expressway from Salem to Chennai.
Farming and weaving are the predominant occupations here. Mr. Palaniswami has projected himself as a farmer first, implying that his government will mean no harm to agriculture. The DMK, especially its president M.K. Stalin, has rejected the claim. The DMK has accused the Chief Minister of being anti-farmer. Land acquisition for the green corridor project and the AIADMK’s support to the farm laws brought by the Centre are the major issues the DMK has flagged against Mr. Palaniswami. How far the farm loan waiver will help the AIADMK is to be seen.
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“The public are questioning the government’s intention behind the waiver of the cooperative farm and gold loans since it was done only after Mr. Stalin promised similar relief,” says DMK Salem West district in-charge T.M. Selvaganapathy.
Mr. Palaniswami will be hoping that schemes like the diversion of surplus water from the Mettur dam to fill 100 dry lakes in Edappadi, Omalur, Sankari and Mettur will help him win over farmers. The farmers hope the surplus water diversion scheme will improve the groundwater level in the region. However, Mr. Selvaganapathy terms the scheme as eyewash. “Only 25% of the work has been completed and the inauguration has been done to deceive the public,” he says.
Lack of jobs is a grave issue, he says. “During the Makkal Grama Sabha held here, we received over 10,000 applications from graduates alone for jobs. Unemployment is a major issue,” he says.
C.S. Karthik, a graduate, says though the basic needs of the constituency, such as water and roads, have been met, there is a lack of jobs for graduates as no new industry has been started in the region.
The AIADMK’s hopes rest on caste and alliance too. The Gounders and the Vanniyars are the dominant communities in the district. A Gounder in his home district, Mr. Palaniswami believes his position is strong. His party is in alliance with the PMK, which has the backing of the Vanniyars. The PMK finished second, after the AIADMK, in the 2011 and 2016 elections. There are, however, other Gounder parties wielding some influence in the region, observers say.
Those pitted against Mr. Palaniswami are T. Sampath Kumar of the DMK and D. Thasaparaj of the Makkal Needhi Maiam.