VIRUDHUNAGAR: The glimmer of hope that sparked in M Valli’s eyes when the 47-year-old heard of job openings at a motorcycle showroom fades once she learns of its location. For the resident of Tiruchuli main bazaar, the distance to Kappalur near Madurai signifies more than the 50km on a map. Dissatisfied with her income as a self-help group member, she and her neighbours have been searching for work for months in vain. “Travelling that far every day isn’t practical. We won’t be able to save any money,” she rues.
A few kilometres away, in Udayanampatti, which also falls under Tiruchuli taluk, 40-year-old V Pothumponnu is engaged in the grueling work of cutting Prosopis juliflora (seemai karuvelam) and turning it into charcoal lumps, with naught but her saree wrapped around her head as protection from the scorching sun. Despite an entire day in the sun, she can’t expect more than Rs 300 as her daily wage.
Pothumponnu and Valli’s plight exemplifies the twin hurdles faced by residents of Tiruchuli. Unlike nearby Sivakasi and Sattur, which have jobs in cracker and matchstick productions or printing units, Tiruchuli has no major industrial presence. Worse, limited public transport facilities force residents to either take up irregular, low-paying, and physically demanding jobs or migrate elsewhere if they can afford it.
J Imran, a driver from Karenthal, opted to migrate. The 38-year-old explains that bus services to Tiruchuli from his village of 2,000 residents ran only twice a day – at 7am and 4pm. “If schoolchildren or workers miss the bus, they would have to walk 2km to the main road to find other means of transport,” he says, adding that the distance to the nearest main road could exceed 5 km in some villages.
After spending Rs 4,000 per month for a private van service to take his children to school, he eventually moved his family to Aruppukottai. The poor connectivity has been such an impediment that in recent months residents of villages like Narikudi have taken to staging protests demanding better transport facilities.
Formed after delimitation in 2008, the Tiruchuli constituency has gone to the polls three times in 2011, 2016, and 2021, with DMK leader and Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu winning each time. The ruling party is fielding him in the seat again.
Despite the issues highlighted by residents, many continue to back Thennarasu, citing his efforts in establishing a Government Arts and Science College, an industrial training institute, and a new bus stand in the constituency. “Earlier, we lacked even basic facilities. There has been noticeable improvement, particularly in infrastructure. We are confident of more progress,” says 57-year-old Ramamoorthy of Sennilaikudi.
While Thennarasu, who could not be reached for comment, is expected to start campaigning this week, party insiders attribute his electoral success to a strong booth-level network and personal connect with the masses. He attends weddings and condolence events whenever he is in town and, if he misses one, he makes it a point to visit later, they say. This connect was reflected during the DMK’s membership drive, ‘Oraniyil TN’ that kicked off last year as Tiruchuli recorded the highest enrolment in the state with 54,310 new members.
Meanwhile, former MLA KK Sivasamy, who defeated Thennarasu in the 2001 election from the then Aruppukkottai constituency, blames intra-party politics for the AIADMK weakening in Tiruchuli. Other party insiders cite AIADMK’s habit of frequently changing its candidates as a factor. This has made voters uncertain and more inclined to support a familiar face, a party ward member from Tiruchuli taluk contends.
This time, the AIADMK has fielded former Sattur MLA MSR Rajavarman. Although he hails from a village in Srivilliputhur constituency, Rajavarman is not new to Tiruchuli. In 1996, he was personal assistant to his party’s then MLA candidate K Sundarapandian.
Rajavarman is now touring villages in Tiruchuli and engaging with voters at their doorsteps in a bid to break Thennarasu’s winning streak. “If elected, I will establish industries centred around Narikudi, Kariyapatti and Tiruchuli. I will work to bring a law college in the region,” he promises.
With a section of voters demanding change and some expressing a lack of faith in all political parties, it remains to be seen if Rajavarman’s campaign can translate that sentiment into sufficient votes to defeat Thennarasu, a task that TVK candidate Samayan and NTK candidate Karthik Raja are also undoubtedly intent on accomplishing.