The electoral battle for Tiruvannamalai constituency has gathered momentum.
While the DMK fielded one of its frontline leaders and Food Minister E.V. Velu, AIADMK fielded former Diary Development Minister S. Ramachandran. The fact that Tiruvannamalai is a DMK bastion and AIADMK had never tasted victory in this constituency makes the contest interesting. When the DMK failed here occasionally it was only alliance partners of the AIADMK who gained victory. Now the AIADMK takes efforts to taste its first victory in Tiruvannamalai.
Despite the DMK's long list of achievements in rural areas, the AIADMK has poll issues to take advantage of in the town. But it seems the AIADMK is not politically exploiting the situation by taking up a no-holds-barred electioneering in this tough terrain.
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The AIADMK failed on two fronts. It lacks good campaigner to speak about these issues in every nook and cranny of the town; it neither could coordinate number of factions in the party nor could it utilise the strength of alliance partners. Second it could not instil confidence in the public that if its candidate was elected their issues could be sorted out.
On the other hand, welfare programmes, district specific achievements, calibre of its candidate E.V. Velu and well planned electioneering seems to help the DMK in its bid to retain its traditional bastion. While the DMK could not use its influence in the Centre to expedite gauge conversion, it has improved bus connectivity to remote villages. Number of small hamlets got part time ration shops.
Above all the sanction of Government Medical College and inauguration of new Primary Health Centres would help improve DMK's performance. Inaccessibility and unfriendly approach of Mr. Velu could have come in the way of easy cruise of the DMK but when he is freely making promises for the constituency, AIADMK candidate S. Ramachandran's inability to ‘finalise' promises and speak for himself dents his image and prepares people to be content with Velu.
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