CHENNAI: Poll campaigning took a new shape in Velachery when candidates cutting across political lines shared the same podium to woo voters by vowing to scrap the Rs 1,655-crore Coastal Elevated Expressway besides plans to develop the constituency and weed out corruption.
The podium was shared by M Jayaraman of the PMK, a constituent of the DMK-led front, techie-turned politician Senthil Armugam of Makkal Sakthi and management graduate E Sarath Babu, who is also the founder and CEO, Foodking Catering Services. AIADMK candidate M K Ashok was also present.
Interestingly, the issues that generated interest were scrapping of elevated expressway, corruption, new projects and cleanliness of beaches and setting up of public urinals.
The Chennai port to Maduravoyal expressway, which is expected to affect about 12,000 families including Theosophical Society, is slowly turning out to be a poll issue with parties vowing to scrap the project to gain votes.
PMK candidate Jayaraman vowed to scrap the project besides announcing a flurry of projects to redevelop the constituency. “PMK has put the demand to scrap the project before the chief minister and the project has been abandoned,” he said.
But he was taken off guard when a query was raised by a voter if there is a Government Order to say the government is dropping the project. He later said that if he gets elected he will influence the government to scrap the project.
But it was Makkal Katchi candidate Senthil Armugam, who is making his poll debut, and Independent candidate E Sarathbabu’s speech that attracted the audience. Senthil said that the scheme hardly had the people’s mandate as there was no public consultation held and added that the government should look at alternative ways instead of uprooting people to far off places.
E Sarathbabu alleged insider trading to boost the real estate prices by projects like Elevated Expressway and opposed it. He also vowed to weed out corruption alongwith Senthil Armugam. M K Ashok of the AIADMK, who could not participate in the debate, later said that his party also opposes the elevated expressway.
