CHENNAI: Standing on her doorstep, P Devi covers her nose in a futile attempt to block the overpowering stench rising from the slow-moving, blackened water in the canal abutting her house in Agasthiyar Nagar in Villivakkam. The canal was supposed to be desilted and cleaned, but the promise has remained only on paper.
A few feet away, V Thara steps forward with a sharp query: What became of the petition submitted to the mayor, signed by hundreds of families affected by the canal? “Promises have been made with every election – whether Assembly or local body – but there has been little effort to improve the situation on the ground,” she says.
She brought her grandson here when he was just a few months old, seven years ago. “He fell sick because of the stench and the polluted air, and I have not brought him back since,” she says. The sharp rotten egg odour is particularly harsh in the mornings, when sewage moves through the canal, making it difficult for residents to even step out.
A CPM functionary calls Karthik Mohan, the DMK candidate fielded as part of the Secular Progressive Alliance, an “enthusiastic youngster” and adds that he would address the issue. But the women are sceptical. Other issues in the constituency include the need to improve facilities at the local market, the menace of stray cattle and poor connectivity to nearby areas such as Kolathur. There is a strong demand for small bus services and better traffic management amid ongoing Metro rail works.
In Villivakkam, the electoral battle is shaped not just by long-pending civic concerns, but also by shifting equations on the ground.
While the CPM functionary backs the DMK, despite dissatisfaction over his party settling for five seats in the alliance, he admits his own family is divided. His wife and two sons, in their twenties, support the TVK, reflecting a growing curiosity for the new entrant.
The DMK’s Karthik is son of Anna Nagar MLA MK Mohan and a third-generation politician. Although he worked in Anna Nagar for the last few years in the hope of getting the seat in lieu of his father, Karthik was moved to Villivakkam after that seat went to N Chitrarasu, a candidate said to have Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s backing.
Though the rare visit of Stalin’s son-in-law V Sabareesan to an indoor campaign meeting for Karthik was downplayed as solidarity with a friend, the move is seen as a sign that Karthik has the support of the DMK’s first family.
Facing him is TVK’s Aadhav Arjuna, a colleague-turned rival, who worked alongside Karthik in the DMK during the 2021 Assembly election. Since then, he moved to the VCK before joining the TVK, where he is general secretary (election campaign management). The AIADMK has fielded S R Vijayakumar, a seasoned politician who served as the Central Chennai MP from 2014 to 2019, banking on his familiarity with the area.
On the ground, DMK cadre acknowledge gaps but exude confidence, pointing to their work in the constituency over the past two-and-a-half years to reach out to voters. Karthik maintains that Villivakkam has long been a DMK bastion, framing the contest as one of victory margins for him.
“The chief minister’s schemes have resonated with residents and the party’s manifesto is also a hit among the people,” he says. The DMK has held the seat since 2001, with the exception of 2011. JCD Prabhakar, who won it for the AIADMK in 2011 and 1980, is now with the TVK.
The AIADMK is seeking to capitalise on unresolved civic issues. Its campaign has focused on long-pending demands such as the provision of pattas, a problem affecting more than 2,000 families. “The sitting MLA (A Vetriazhagan) was not accessible to the people. The constituency doesn’t even have an MLA office,” alleges J Manikandan, an AIADMK Students’ Wing district secretary in Villivakkam.
During his campaigns, Vijayakumar promises to take steps to ease traffic along the stretch from Chennai–Tiruvallur High Road to Konnur High Road, establish a government arts college and address electricity and water issues.
Aadhav, meanwhile, is banking on Vijay’s popularity and what he describes as an enthusiastic response on the ground. The party points to Villivakkam as the constituency with the highest number of members enrolled in the TVK, alongside Perambur. He has promised installation of CCTV cameras, to improve access to basic amenities like water and electricity, and to publicly disclose his assets every three months, building on the TVK’s anti-corruption plank.