KARUR: With alliance leaders and almost all constituents having announced their candidates, Congress, which first sealed the deal with the DMK, is mired in factional feuds and is yet to come out with its list of contestants. Congress cadres in Karur are divided on their choice. While a section, including the chief of the district unit Chinnasamy, wants spokesperson S Jothimani to contest, another roots for Bank Subramaniyam. Supporters of Subramaniyam held a meeting on Sunday which increased the political temperature in Karur Congress unit by a few notches.
The differences came to the fore during a recent meeting headed by AICC secretary Sanjay Dutt. Dutt had warned the cadres to keep their differences aside and work for the party’s success.From 1957 to 1984 parliamentary elections, Karur had been the stronghold of the Congress. After 1984, the party lost ground to the AIADMK, which won the seat six times, and the DMK and the TMC, which tasted success once each.
“Jothimani lost in the previous two elections (2011 Assembly & 2014 parliamentary elections). Worse, in 2014, she was relegated to the fourth spot, having managed to secure some 30,000 votes (30,459 votes) compared with winning candidate Thambidurai, who got more than 5 lakh votes (5,40,722). So Subramaniyam is the best bet.
When he contested in 2016 Assembly elections, he lost to MR Vijayabaskar by a mere 400 votes (441 votes). So chances for him winning this time are very high” said a party functionary.
While the two groups are making their own choices, sources confirmed that Jothimani is likely to receive the high command’s nod. Sources also said that within Karur Congress committee Jothimani enjoyed wider support than her rival.
Another issue that rankles Congress cadres is the lack of enthusiasm among DMK cadres who were hoping someone from their party would contest. But ever since DMK chief Stalin announced that the Congress had been allotted Karur, there has been widespread disappointment among the ranks.