Modakkurichi Assembly constituency received national attention when 1,016 farmers contested in the Assembly election in 1996 to draw the attention of the government to its charter of demands, which later led to increasing the deposit amount for candidates.
The agriculture driven economy has turmeric, sugarcane, coconut and paddy as its major crops. It is irrigated by the 750-year-old Kalingarayan Canal and the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) Canal. Arulmigu Magudeswarar temple at Kodumudi, located on the banks of River Cauvery, draws tourists from various parts of the State and also from nearby States.
Erode taluk was trifurcated and Modakkurichi and Kodumudi taluks were formed in 2016. But no development has taken place in the taluks. As turmeric is the major crop, farmers demand fair price for their produce. Cold storage facilities and food processing industries never took off. Upgradation of taluk hospitals, establishing a bus stand at Modakkurichi, government college in Kodumudi, improving amenities at Magudeswarar temple for devotees, developing Karanampalayam check dam as tourist spot and a bridge across River Cauvery linking Kodumudi and Namakkal district are the key demands of people. Also, the suburban bus stand constructed at Anakalpalayam in 46 Pudur village in 2014 is yet to be put to public use. Pollution in Kalingarayan Canal continues to affect farmers in the region who are demanding strict action against the textile processing units that discharge effluents into the canal. Though vehicle flow has increased significantly on Erode – Karur road, the much needed four-laning work is yet to start on the stretch. AIADMK had won eight times, while DMK had won twice and Congress once. Incumbent V.P. Sivasubramani of AIADMK could not contest again as the seat was allotted to BJP which has fielded C.K. Saraswathi, a doctor.
DMK had fielded former Union Minister Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan, who won the elections in 1977 and 1996 in the constituency.
While Ms. Saraswathi seeks votes highlighting the party’s performance at national level, Ms. Subbulakshmi highlights her party’s manifesto and her contributions to the constituency during her earlier tenure as MLA and MP.
