TIRUPPUR: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is set to campaign in Dharapuram on Wednesday. TVK's general secretary and TN Minister of Rural Development, N Anand said that only 5,000 QR pass holders will be allowed to attend the event. On Tuesday evening, N Anand announced that only those holding a pass with a QR code would be admitted. In his statement, he said, “CM Vijay’s campaign meeting will be held at around 3 pm on Wednesday at Maruthi Nagar in Chithravuthanpalayam village, in Dharapuram. Only 5,000 people who have been issued entry passes containing QR codes will be permitted to attend the programme. No other person will be allowed entry.”
“The QR-code entry passes have been issued only to selected participants. As a safety precaution, QR-code passes have not been issued to pregnant women, children, school students, senior citizens, persons with disabilities and those who are unwell. They have been advised not to attend the programme. Party cadres and members of the public without entry passes will not be permitted to enter the venue. They have been requested to watch the programme through TV and social media live-streams,” he added.
With the bypoll campaign set to conclude on the evening of October 4 in Dharapuram, a 54-acre site on the Dharapuram-Udumalaipet road has been selected, and all arrangements, including a campaign arena with a tent, have been completed.
"The Chief Minister will arrive in Coimbatore on Wednesday morning and subsequently travel to Dharapuram by road. In Dharapuram, the CM is likely to participate in a road show and address a public meeting. An arena has been erected with a seating capacity of about 5,000. Separate seating arrangements have been made for men and women. Drinking water facilities and mobile toilets have also been arranged at several locations for people attending the meeting. More than 20 LED screens have also been set up outside the meeting arena so that people can watch the CM's address," party sources said.
This aside, the public protested against Minister C Vijayalakshmi and MLA Jaganath Mishra PLA when they went to Ruthravathi village, in Kundadam in Dharapuram, for campaigning on Tuesday. The police intervened and brought the situation under control.
Similarly, in Dharapuram, while campaigning for candidate P Sathyabama, TVK deputy general secretary MR Vijayabhaskar, out of habit, urged voters to vote for the 'Two Leaves' symbol. This shocked the crowd. Immediately, he corrected himself and emphasised the whistle symbol. This video is going viral on social media.