SALEM:
Two senior functionaries of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) A Karthe and N Tamilarasu will be facing AIADMK rivals at Edapadi and Omalur Assembly segments, respectively, in Salem district.
The PMK had denied a seat to its sitting MLA Kavery whose performance, according to the party, was lacklustre and instead, preferred Karthe, a deputy general secretary and former MLA. This Vanniyar-dominated Edapadi segment assumes significance since the delimitation exercise had hived off Taramangalam Assembly segment, held by the PMK. Karthe, a graduate in Political Science, has his ancestral roots in Edapadi though he stays in Salem city. But he is facing the tag of ‘outsider' in the Constituency, which has a sizeable rural population besides the weavers in Jalakandapuram and Ilampillai. “With the overwhelming support of the allies such as DMK, I can easily romp home,” he told The Hindu while campaigning in a village.
He seeks votes on the basis of freebies and welfare schemes offered by the ruing alliance. He also warns that these will be discontinued if the AIADMK front came to power. He also assures weavers uninterrupted power supply and points out that if DMK is voted to power, the free supply of power will be increased from 200 to 500 units. The AIADMK's Salem west district secretary Palanisamy has been fielded again here causing widespread disenchantment among the rank and file of the cadre here.
Palanisamy has been their candidate since 1989, seeing victories and defeats in various elections. The people are also critical for his non-performance since no major development scheme has been brought to the segment so far. But still, he banks on his leader's charisma and the people's wish for a change.
Omalur is the other constituency where the PMK and AIADMK would be crossing swords. The PMK's deputy general secretary N Tamilarasu, seeking re-election is facing the AIADMK's Krishnan who lost the last polls by a thin margin of 3,663 votes. The DMDK as a single entity polled 12,384 votes, which Krishnan believes would see him through this time. Tamilrasu is banking solely on the party's alliance with the ruling front.
Though it was he who spearheaded an uprising against Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S Arumugam before a patch-up was thrashed out, DMK cadre in tandem with VCK, have been working wholeheartedly for his success. “I have personally attended to the problems of the people of my Constituency,” he claims. However, he faces an uphill task against the AIADMK candidate who has no adverse remarks against him. The constituency has a majority of Vanniyars followed by Dalits and other caste groups. A rain-fed area, the segment comprises mainly labourers who migrate to Bangalore and other cities to earn their livelihood.
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