KARUR: Karur’s Paramathi is one of the hottest spots in Tamil Nadu, having already touched 40 degrees Celsius this year. The poll temperature in the Karur Lok Sabha constituency, however, is yet to match that heat. Currently represented by deputy LS Speaker M Thambidurai,72, of AIADMK, the constituency which includes six Assembly segments, is witnessing a balanced fight, with Congress’ S Jothimani, 43, having been fielded by the DMK-led alliance against the four-time Karur MP.
Jothimani’s selection was controversial, with a section of local Congress leaders batting for Bank Subramaniyam instead. Subramaniyam lost to the AIADMK’s MR Vijayabhaskar in the Karur Assembly constituency in 2016 by a mere 441 votes. Jothimani came in fourth against Thambidurai in the 2014 LS polls, losing by over 5 lakh votes. However, this time Thambidurai needs to worry about the Congress spokesperson this time.
First, the DMK successfully lured V Senthil Balaji to its side in 2018. The Karur strongman was a member of the AIADMK before he joined TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam. Now, the district-in-charge of DMK, his support adds heft to Jothimani’s candidature, who he defeated in the 2011 Assembly polls from Karur, and draws crowds to her campaign speeches. His move to the DMK also may ensure that AMMK is unlikely to be a factor in Karur, ensuring a two-party race.
Second, after 10 years representing the seat, Thambidurai faces a strong anti-incumbency sentiment, meaning the race is far from a cakewalk for him. Also, given her poor past performance, local AIADMK cadre appear more confident and seem to be a little complacent while been campaigning.
This last factor can be seen in the campaign styles of the two candidates. Thambidurai campaigns from his van, more often than not. His speeches focus on criticising the DMK. Vijayabhaskar makes occasional appearances in his support. On the other hand, Jothimani, with Senthil Balaji often by her side, has been campaigning by van and foot, and presenting specific schemes to meet the requirements of the constituency.
The key issues faced here were related to a scarcity of water. Thambidurai, while known to regularly visit the constituency and collect petitions, has in recent times been faced by angry villagers demanding he address their water requirements.
But water is hardly the only issue in the constituency for political leaders to tackle. Aravakurichi, Karur, Krishnarayapuram (SC), Vedasandur (Dindugul district), Manapparai (Tiruchy district) and Viralimalai (Pudukkottai district) are the Assembly segments that fall under the Karur parliamentary constituency. The region is known for banana, drumstick and betel leaf cultivations. Aravakurichi alone grows more than 60 per cent of the drumsticks supplied across Tamil Nadu. For over a decade, people here have demanded a drumstick processing factory to extract oil and make drumstick powder. This, they feel, would secure them against sudden crashes in prices of the produce. Similarly, banana farmers also have been demanding a storage facility and processing factory while urging the government to introduce bananas to the noon meal scheme. Betel leaf farmers have sought a research centre to help explore the medicinal value of the crop.
Aside from these, people of Krishnarayapuram, Vedasandur and Viralimalai have demanded colleges to be set up as the students need to travel over 40km to reach colleges at present. Another significant request has been that a new train service to Chennai be introduced. That none of these demands have been met by past MPs, including Thambidurai, has caused a deep resentment in the electorate which may affect the incumbent’s chances.
Candidates speak
Thambidurai said while campaigning in the region that if re-elected he would complete all pending projects in the entire constituency. “For two more years, our party will be ruling in the State. If Modi becomes Prime Minister again in the Centre, and if I win once again and by god’s grace if I become a Union minister, I would be able to achieve whatever the people of Karur require. We will implement major projects here. Along with a 12-way road from Karur to Coimbatore, the Cauvery Combined Drinking Water Supply Scheme and all other development projects will be carried out.”
Jothimani’s agenda, she said, is informed by her travels in the constituency. Women empowerment seems to be he focus area. “The Pollachi incident was a big shock to all. The first thing I’m going to do is set up a 24x7 Women Empowerment & Safety Centre so women can come and discuss their problems without fear. Next, a lot of youth in Karur are educated but lacking job opportunities. So we plan to open a skill development and employment centre under a project called Karka Kasadara. Apart from that, agriculture and sheep rearing is widely practiced in Karur. I will establish a centre for farmers to sell their products at the best price, along with storage facilities for their produce,”she said, adding that she would soon be releasing a separate manifesto for Karur.