COIMBATORE: If promises translated into votes, Anbumani Ramadoss would have easily sprinted past the finish line. From declaring himself as the ‘fittest’ of all in the fray to promising his first signature after assuming power to be on a legislation bringing total prohibition, PMK’s chief ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss unspooled all his charm to woo women and youth voters. He was tipped as the proverbial David taking on the mighty Dravidian giants. But then, the support he was counting on never arrived, relegating him to the third position in what was considered his stronghold in Pennagaram.
Fielding Anbumani from Pennagaram in Dharmapuri district was a masterstroke the PMK top brass thought would swing the balance in the scion’s favour as the seat was believed to be a stronghold of Vanniyars, a community the PMK represented. Anbumani was pegging his hopes on the Vanniyar support to see him through this election from Pennagaram.
However, all his political aspirations crumbled around him, as he failed to gain traction among the voters, ending up as an ‘also-ran’.