2 glasses of chilly meals Jigarthanda Madurai's well-known drink was not sufficient to chill down the summer season warmth within the temple city. However with simply three days to go till the Sabah elections, there was much less enthusiasm on the political entrance within the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu.
Madurai was as soon as thought-about the primary seat of the Congress, which has received eight seats since independence. The seat then went to the CPM, which received 4 instances. DMK's Madurai strongman and former Union minister MK Alagiri received the seat in 2009. Nonetheless, in 2014, AIADMK's R. Gopalakrishnan defeated DMK's V. Velusamy and received the seat, and in 2019, CPM's S. Venkatesan defeated AIADMK's Raj Satyen. received a seat.
This time, the town will witness a troublesome three-way battle between writers (incumbent S. Venkatesan of CPM), docs (P. Saravanan of AIADMK) and orators (Rama Srinivasan of BJP). Of the six meeting constituencies, 4 are held by the DMK and two by the AIADMK, indicating robust backing to the DMK-led alliance wherein the CPM is a accomplice.
Native residents declare that Mr. Venkatesan has not contributed sufficient to his constituency previously 5 years by way of roads and different infrastructure, which is the largest concern in most constituencies within the state. . Native residents lament that the town, which attracts lots of of hundreds of vacationers from throughout India yearly, lacks primary facilities.
Jayalalithaa issue
Manickam, an auto driver, mentioned the CPM and its alliance accomplice DMK weren’t doing something for the constituency.
He referred to the discontinuation of the favored marriage assist scheme for ladies, which existed in Tamil Nadu for 30 years and was launched by a former chief minister, and mentioned that no matter was launched by J. Jayalalithaa, the DMK has discontinued it. . He mentioned the DMK had additionally stopped the distribution of laptops, including that this might have an effect on the probabilities of CPM.
Lack of jobs is a serious downside on this constituency. Ganesh, who runs a small cellular store, says no new trade has sprung up previously 5 years. He predicts victory for the CPM candidate due to the alliance between DMK and Congress. It will assist consolidate minority votes. He added that if the Bharatiya Janata Occasion and AIADMK had joined palms, the mix would have had a bonus.
promise
In his manifesto to Madurai, Rama Srinivasan promised to extend the waters of the Vaigai river. Creating Madurai metropolis and desilting the Vaigai river has been a long-standing demand of native residents. He additionally promised to improve the Madurai airport.
CPM's Venkatesan mentioned he would deal with the event of all the constituency, whereas his rival Saravanan has promised many issues, together with constructing fragrance factories and ambulance amenities in every constituency.
Prime Minister Modi's affect
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest go to to Madurai has boosted the morale of the BJP-led alliance comprising smaller events resembling TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK and GK Vasan's TMC. Nonetheless, the query mark is whether or not the big viewers PM Modi drew at his rallies will translate into votes and, in flip, assist Mr Srinivasan win the distinguished Madurai seat.
The DMK-led alliance with Congress and CPM and the presence of smaller events like VCK and MDMK have a bonus resulting from consolidation of minority votes.
lack of enthusiasm
As I moved across the constituencies, I couldn’t really feel the identical pleasure as within the Lok Sabha elections. Quite the opposite, persons are busy getting ready for the competition of Lord Karajagar, who enters the Vaigai river on April 23 as a part of the annual Chithirai competition. Lakhs of devotees from Madurai and surrounding areas will occupy each area round Vaigai close to Albert Victor Bridge to witness the spectacle.