SALEM: Among the rural constituencies in Salem District, Mettur has become a hotly contested constituency as PMK has fielded its state president G K Mani who joins the fray with heavy weights.
AIADMK has fielded S Semmalai, the most articulate among the crop of local leaders. Sitting MLA S R Parthiban of the DMDK’s splinter group is contesting with DMK’s support.
AIADMK has held the constituency maximum number of tenures. In the post MGR period from 1991 onwards AIADMK candidate S Sundarambal won the constituency in 1991 and 2001. DMK’s P Gopal won in 1996. In 2006, G K Mani won with DMK alliance support and got 66,250 votes.
In 2011, DMDK in alliance with AIADMK won the constituency. The sitting MLA S R Parthiban with 75,672 votes while G K Mani of PMK in alliance with DMK got 73,078 votes.
Nearly 12 independents, BJP and IJK in total got more than 15,000 votes.
It was a closely contested constituency in 2011.
This time also it is a closely contested constituency as all major parties have fielded Vanniyar and experienced candidates to attract the dominant community. DMDK is also in the fray and has fielded R Boopathy a Vanniyar community man and the party’s Union Secretary of Mecheri.
A mill town and electricity capital of the region, Mettur has a sizable industrial work force. Poor civic management ails the sprawling town on both the banks of the Cauvery river. Parthiban has taken up several protests against industrial pollution and civic issues. A vast rural area around the town is mostly dependent of rains for agriculture though the Cauvery river winds through. The PMK and DMDK (when S R Parthiban was in the party) have been demanding a scheme for utilising Mettur dam’s surplus water for local irrigation. DMK and AIADMK set up study to review the proposal. AIADMK sanctioned a ` 1,100 crore scheme but fund was not allocated.
G K Mani has an added advantage of Dr Anbumani Ramdoss’s work as a MP of Dharmapuri under which the Mettur constituency falls. In 2011 Mettur had 2,12,608 votes. Demographic changes have taken place in the last five years and constituency now has a total votes of 2,55,673 votes. Observers say that traditional vote will split among the strong contenders the new voters will vote for change.
