COIMBATORE: Former minister V Senthil Balaji, who has been fielded as the DMK candidate from the Coimbatore South constituency, credited party president and Chief Minister MK Stalin for making him contest from the seat for a party sweep in Coimbatore district.
Balaji, the Karur legislator, was shifted to the Coimbatore South seat in a surprise move. Addressing the press after inaugurating his election campaign office at Gandhipuram in Coimbatore on Monday, he said, "The people of Tamil Nadu are ready to give a massive victory to the DMK for the second consecutive time.
In the previous election, the DMK alliance had lost the chance of victory in all the 10 constituencies in the district. Therefore, Chief Minister MK Stalin has given me the opportunity to contest from Coimbatore. As per his directive, I will work hard to surely win all the 10 constituencies in Coimbatore."
On AIADMK candidate Amman Arjunan's statement that he would win by a margin of 50,000 votes, Balaji retorted, "Are they going to say that they will lose?" "When the Chief Minister visited Coimbatore last time, pump set manufacturers had raised several demands regarding their industry.
Now, in the election manifesto released by the DMK, it has been announced that upon returning to power new pump sets will be provided to 20 lakh farmers across Tamil Nadu. The pump set manufacturers have welcomed this. Because of such achievements, Coimbatore will achieve a massive victory," he added.
He (Amman Arjunan) should be asked why he left the Coimbatore South constituency and moved to the North constituency, Balaji asked.
Sounding upbeat about his prospects in next month's election, Balaji said: "For me, Coimbatore and Karur are not different. I have won in the Karur and Aravakurichi constituencies.
Now they have given me the Coimbatore constituency, and I will definitely win there as well. In the 2021 Assembly election, the DMK lost a few constituencies in Coimbatore by a margin of a few thousand votes. After that, how much growth the AIADMK has achieved. Ask whether the public has joined their party trusting them."
"I am not contesting in this election to belittle any candidate. We will talk about the achievements of the DMK government and will obtain a massive victory," he concluded.