Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s brief visit on Friday to north Chennai – where she filed her nomination for the upcoming by-election – has raised expectations among residents of the much-neglected area.
Greeted by thousands of supporters who flocked to Tondiarpet Ms. Jayalalithaa, accompanied by her aide Sasikala, filed her nomination for the by-poll in R.K. Nagar in north Chennai. Her first contest in an urban constituency, the June 27 by-election which Ms. Jayalalithaa is widely expected to win, has brought crucial civic challenges – such as drinking water supply, conservancy and pollution – to the fore.
The gleaming tarred roads, with some stretches remaining sticky on Friday due to the fresh coats of tar, surprised residents of the under-developed locality, once the city’s trade hub. “The entire road was laid yesterday. Many of the speed breakers in the area have been levelled. This kind of swiftness in civic work is very rare, that too in this part of the city,” said an autorickshaw driver, a long-time resident of Old Washermenpet, who drives in and around north Chennai.
Hours ahead of Ms. Jayalalithaa’s visit to the constituency on Friday, traffic bottlenecks developed around Royapuram and Old Washermenpet. Police blocked vehicle entry to certain arterial roads in the area and diverted traffic to smaller lanes.
Despite the afternoon heat, supporters lined themselves along a long row of barricades on Tiruvottiyur High Road before Ms. Jayalalithaa filed her nomination at the Chennai Corporation Zonal office here, waiting for hours together to have a glimpse of ‘Amma’.
Drum beats grew louder at the sight of the preceding security vehicles. Around 2 p.m., Ms. Jayalalithaa’s convoy arrived and supporters screamed and cheered with evident excitement. This was her second major public appearance after May 23, the day she was sworn in.
Long-pending issues
Ardent supporters in R.K. Nagar, an AIADMK stronghold, would like to see their leader address specific civic challenges haunting the constituency – with nearly 2.5 lakh voters – for a long time. Seventy-five-year-old S. Chandra said she hoped that her leader would address the long-pending issue of sewage mixing in drinking water in the area.
“The problem persists for years now. Drinking water is a major concern here. I am sure she will do something to help us,” said the senior citizen, with her head wrapped in a new white towel that displayed her party loyalty in the colour of its border.
With almost all opposition parties deciding to keep out of the contest, barring the CPI and some independent candidates, the Chief Minister is widely expected to win the by-election.
On Wednesday, five other candidates — K. Padmarajan (Independent), M. Ahamed Shahjahan (Independent), D. Ravi Paraiyanar [Republican Party of India (A)], K.R. Ramaswamy or ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy (Independent) and R. Abraham Raj Mohan [People’s Party of India (Secular)] — filed their nomination.
