TIRUNELVELI: Nanguneri and Vikravandi were touted as the prelude to the next Assembly election. The Opposition fired volley after volley, calling into question the credibility of the incumbents, hoping that the constant barrage would dent the dispensation’s standing among the electorate. When V Narayanan (AIADMK) on Thursday beat his closest rival Ruby Manoharan (Congress), the incumbents’ stand that their welfare schemes would see them through was vindicated.
Narayanan polled 95,377 votes, 33,445 more than Manoharan’s tally. What makes the numbers stand in stark contrast is the fact that a little over six months ago, the DMK-Congress combine polled 34,710 more votes than the AIADMK in the Nanguneri Assembly segment alone during the parliamentary election.
Political observers credit Edappadi K Palaniswami’s campaign strategy for the shift. Palaniswami pegged his hustings on Nanguneri MLA H Vasanthakumar’s resignation to become an MP; that Ruby Manoharan was flown into the segment from Chennai too was tapped appropriately, believes a professor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. The whirlwind campaign by the chief minister, who roped in heavyweight ministers as well, struck a chord with the masses.
Help also arrived from unexpected quarters. A district-level office bearer of AIADMK claimed that the poll boycott by the Devendrakula Vellalar (DKV) community benefited the AIADMK. “In the earlier elections, the DMK-Congress alliance polled more votes than the AIADMK in the DKV belt. This did not go unnoticed by the top brass, which is why they did not go out of their way to appease Dr Krishnasamy,” he said. Breaching the Congress bastion required the grassroots to pitch in their bit.
The importance of the seat could be assessed by what one of the cadre told TNIE. “The electorate under booth 205 was against us. We patiently explained the various schemes implemented by our government, the myriad projects in the pipeline and the importance of having an MLA from the party in power. At one point we made ourselves understood and this victory is the result,” he said.
This one-to-one approach also was devised by the top brass. Tirunelveli Rural District Secretary KRP Prabhakaran says, “An MLA from the party in power could achieve more than any other candidate and this was conveyed to the electorate.” Thursday’s result triggered early Deepavali celebrations, with the AIADMK cadre distributing sweets across the town. Crackers were burst in various locations, including Kalakkad, Sermapandi, Kadayam, and even the party office near New Bus Stand.
AIADMK happy
A one-to-one approach also was devised by the top brass. Tirunelveli Rural District Secretary Prabhakaran says, “An MLA from the party in power could achieve more than any other candidate and this was conveyed to the electorate.”
33,445 votes Narayanan secured over Congress candidate.