Chennai: As Tamil Nadu gears up for Lok Sabha elections on April 24, the campaign across the state reached a fever pitch. With 39 seats in Tamil Nadu plus the lone seat in Puducherry up for grabs, parties across the political spectrum were out on the streets raising one last battle cry before polling day.
For the very first time, the state will witness a multi-cornered contest with six political fronts in the fray. While the Congress will fight a lonely battle in Tamil Nadu, the BJP will go into this election with a six-party alliance with actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth's DMDK, Vaiko's MDMK, Ramadoss's PMK and two other regional parties on board. But the main battle will be between the two Dravidian parties - the DMK and the AIADMK - with both choosing to go into the elections without a national ally.
Issues like price rise, power crisis, water shortage, and corruption will decide the political fortunes of several candidates in Tamil Nadu this time.
Here's our list of key candidates to watch out for in Tamil Nadu:
A Raja: A four-time MP and DMK's Dalit face, A Raja is seeking re-election from the Nilgiris constituency. Though the DMK has drawn criticism for fielding Raja, who is the key accused in the 2G spectrum scam, the 50-year-old former Telecom Minister is confident of winning. Raja continued to nurture his constituency even after his 15-month stint in Tihar jail. Locals in this hill-district appreciate Raja's timely distribution of relief material during the floods in 2009 and this may swing votes in his favour.
Dayanidhi Maran: It came as no surprise when the DMK gave a ticket to former telecom and textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran. Chennai Central has been a DMK bastion since the 1980s with Dayanidhi's father Murosoli Maran winning three back-to-back elections from the constituency. A two-time MP, Dayanidhi, who is being investigated for his role in the Aircel-Maxis deal, will not only have to fight the taint of corruption but will also be up against AIADMK's SR Vijaykumar. A political novice, Vijaykumar will be counting on the popularity of Jayalalithaa's welfare schemes. The AAP, which has fielded social activist J Prabhakar, and the DMDK's JK Ravindran are likely to eat into Maran's votes.
TR Baalu: Former Union shipping minister TR Baalu is a five-time MP, having won four of those contests from Chennai South. In 2009, TR Baalu was shifted to Sriperumbudur and emerged victorious with more than 44 per cent of the votes. The DMK leader has changed seats once again, choosing to stand from his hometown of Thanjavur in the Cauvery delta region. But his main rival is AIADMK's K. Parasuraman and Jayalalithaa's government has to its credit the gazette notification of the final award of the Cauvery Disputes tribunal.
SP Udayakumar: Spearheading the anti-nuclear protests against the Kudankulam nuclear plant, SP Udayakumar is AAP's candidate for Kanyakumari. Udayakumar will be contesting with the support of the large fishing community in this southern district. However, the anti-nuke activist faces a tricky poll battle. Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency, which has predominantly been in the hands of the Congress, will see a six-way fight this election. While the Congress has fielded businessman H. Vasanthakumar, it is the BJP that may have the edge in Kanyakumari. BJP has fielded its state president Pon Radhakrishnan, who won the seat in 1999.
Anbumani Ramadoss: Former Union health minister and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss is for the first time contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Dharmapuri, having been elected to the Rajya Sabha earlier. With the Vanniyar community making up nearly 41 per cent of the population in Dharmapuri, Anbumani hopes wielding the caste card will see him through. However, it will not be an easy fight for the PMK with the electorate divided on caste lines. The 2012 caste riots between Vanniyars and Dalits is likely to haunt the PMK as Dalits make up 21 per cent of the electorate.
Mani Shankar Aiyar: At a time when several senior Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu have chosen to sit out, possibly fearing defeat, Mani Shankar Aiyar has opted to stand from Mayiladuthurai, even while serving as a Rajya Sabha MP. Aiyar is a familiar face to the Mayilardutharai electorate, having contested from the constituency seven times. He emerged victorious on three occasions - in 1991, 1999 and 2004. While Mayiladuthurai has predominantly been a Congress seat, Aiyar was defeated by AIADMK's OS Manian in the last general elections by a margin of 37,000 votes.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa has, however, denied OS Manian a ticket this time. Instead, AIADMK has fielded RK Bharathi Mohan, who was an MLA from Thiruvidamarur Assembly segment in 2006. With four out of the six assembly segments in Mayiladuthurai having been won by the AIADMK alliance in the 2011 state elections, the ruling party will go in as the favourite for the Lok Sabha polls.
Karti Chidambaram: Union Finance Minister and seven-time sitting MP from Sivaganga, P Chidambaram has handed over the baton to his son, Karti Chidambaram. While the opposition takes aim at the Finance Minister for running away from electoral defeat, his son Karti has been nurturing the constituency for sometime now. Though the odds may favour the Chidambaram name, the family will not be so quick to forget the controversy that broke out during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. AIADMK's Raja Kannappan was first declared the winner, but after a recount, the Congress leader emerged victorious by a margin of 3000 votes.
Comments
0 comment