PUDUCHERRY: The newly constituted Kamaraj Nagar constituency has suddenly become the apple of eye of all parties concerned.
After the Congress and the CPI focused attention on it, it is now the turn of the BJP.
All of these parties seem to have one agenda - an eye on the Assembly elections in the Union Territory, due in a few months.
Ever since its creation after the delimitation of constituencies, this constituency comprising Saram, Sithankudi, Venkatanagar, Krishna Nagar, Vasanth Nagar and Samipillaithottam got attention when Chief Minister V Vaithilingam started nurturing it.
Nettapakkam, from where he had won five elections, has become a reserved constituency, thus making it ineligible for him to contest.
Being a new constituency, there were no existing contenders (MLAs) either from the party or the alliance to pose difficulties in getting nominated for contesting the elections. The government also had initiated a lot of development projects in the constituency.
However, there have been allegations of corrupt practices by government staff, which could affect the CM’s chances.
Then again, in CPI MLA R Viswanathan who is also planning to contest from the constituency, the CM has a tough rival.
Since some of the areas in Kamaraj Nagar constituency like Saram and Venkatanagar were originally under Reddiarpalayam constituency, from where he was elected to the Assembly, it became a natural choice for him.
Since then Viswanthan has not only been fighting tooth and nail to nullify the measures taken by Vaithilingam in wooing the constituency, but also to score brownie points.
His partymen are also involved in ground work by interacting and attending to the requirements of individual houses.
The BJP which hardly has any political base in Puducherry has also entered the fray by appointing new party functionaries in the constituency. J Kalyanam has been appointed president of the BJP unit in Kamaraj Nagar constituency.
He is also supported by a host of constituency vice presidents, general secretaries, secretaries and treasurers and executive committee members.
While it might be an uphill task for the BJP to offer any competition to the Congress or the CPI, yet the BJP cannot be ignored.
Being a national party as well as the work being taken up could make the party contender get some votes, which though insufficient to elicit victory, could cut into the vote bank of the main contenders, thus making a difference between victory and defeat.
