COIMBATORE: As two youth from North India haggled with an auto-rickshaw driver for a ride to Isha Yoga Centre right in front of the auto stand at Gandhipuram Town Bus Stand, a TNSTC bus driver honked impatiently, trying to manoeuvre his vehicle into the stand. Chaos, it seems, is synonymous with Coimbatore.
Office-goers, college students, and shoppers carrying bags of fresh clothes and household items purchased from the bustling commercial establishments along the road, all struggled to cross the busy Nanjappa Road beneath the two-tier flyover. Buses, cars, two-wheelers, and auto-rickshaws only added to the familiar frenzy of the city.
“For more than two decades, the Gandhipuram bus stand has remained the same, with entrance and exit points witnessing chaos every day. The city corporation officials should have given land and extended the town bus stand, considering the increasing buses and passengers who depend on the service every day to commute across the city and suburbs,” says V Raju, an auto driver.
“The foot overbridge was demolished because of the flyover construction. There is no sign of setting up the foot-over bridge or subway to help pedestrians,” says T Shanmugaraja, a resident of Periyanaickenpalayam, who keeps travelling to the city for work.
The Nanjappa Road in Gandhipuram, in the heart of the city falling under the Coimbatore South constituency, leads to the city’s landmark places such as Semmozhi Park, Central Prison, and the proposed Thanthai Periyar Library, and Nilgiri Tahr Conservation Centre.
At Race Course, a prime location where hundreds of people gather for their morning and evening walks, Deepak, a sexagenarian from Rajasthan, says some roads in the vicinity are full of potholes.
B Mohammed Ali, vice president of the Flower Merchants Association, says though over 200 merchants work at the flower market, there is no proper toilet facility for them. “While shops selling flower garlands operate round the clock, vendors selling flowers in loose begin their work at 5 am and continue until their stock is exhausted,” he says.
From the perennial drinking water crisis to garbage menace and storm water drain problems, the residents raise several concerns every election.
R Ravikumar, a resident of Elango Nagar near Periyar Padippagam, complains of high electricity bills, saying the DMK has failed to implement the electoral promise of introducing a monthly billing cycle.
Though the constituency is widely known for its bustling commercial hubs such as Town Hall and Gandhipuram, it also encompasses prominent residential areas, including Puliyakulam, Ramanathapuram, Gandhipuram and others. The constituency is demographically diverse, comprising Muslims, Christians, Dalits, Thevars, Jains, Naidu, Kongu Vellala Gounders, and Chettiars.
The past three elections indicate that the constituency has largely remained a stronghold of the AIADMK. Following the 2008 delimitation, Coimbatore South witnessed its first Assembly election in 2011, when AIADMK’s R Doraisamy, popularly known as Challenger Dorai, emerged victorious. In 2021, Vanathi Srinivasan, national president of the BJP women’s wing, won by a narrow margin of 1,728 votes against Kamal Haasan, founder of Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM).
However, the political landscape has intensified this time, turning Coimbatore South into a high-profile battleground with the entry of former minister V Senthil Balaji as the DMK candidate. He is pitted against AIADMK’s Amman K Arjunan, who was MLA of Coimbatore North, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate V Perarivalan, and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam’s (TVK) V Senthil Kumar. NTK’s Perarivalan dared Senthil Balaji and Amman K Arjunan to face the election “without bribing the voters”.
Though an outsider to the constituency, Senthil Balaji has previous experience of electioneering in Coimbatore, as he played a key role in DMK’s local body election win in 2022.
Accompanied by his large number of supporters, including those from Karur, he has already hit the road running. He focuses on the Stalin government’s welfare measures, like free bus travel and the monthly honorarium.
Senthil Balaji is confident that DMK and its allies will win all 10 constituencies in the district. On his part, AIADMK’s Arjunan has retorted that he would defeat the DMK candidate with a margin of 50,000 votes.
Speaking to TNIE, he assured voters that if elected, he would work for setting up a subway at Gandhipuram, Townhall, and in front of Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital.
While DMK allies claim strong support among minority voters in areas like Kottaimedu and Marakkadai, NDA leaders argue that they too enjoy considerable backing in these regions, citing the BJP’s victory in the 2021 election.