CHENNAI: Ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections, the AIADMK flaunted its might on Wednesday as a sea of cadre from across the State were present at Marina Beach on Wednesday to participate in the grand inauguration of the memorial for party behemoth late J Jayalalithaa.
The first and the largest gathering organised by the party in the last 10 months, since the Covid-19 outbreak, evoked a sense of pride among the cadre. They greeted each other jubilantly to witness the historic event.
Every time Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami commented about the party’s success in the elections, cadre near the venue and those following the speech with the help of LCD monitors and speakers shouted slogans and heaped praises on the party leadership for their service.
Huge influx
Waves of supporters made their way to the venue since Tuesday night and slept on the lawns near the beach. The crowd swelled and saturated the venue way before the event commenced, and the influx continued even after the programme concluded around 12.30 pm.
Suresh Kumar, a supporter from Arani, who was stuck in traffic near Purusaiwalkam, said his team started around 5 am and yet couldn’t reach the venue in time. Arterial roads in the city were packed with private buses and minivans — painted in striking colours and fitted with musical horns — causing traffic jams since morning.
‘Shows EPS-OPS popularity’
Many cadre with whom Express spoke to reminisced the days when ‘Amma’ (Jayalalithaa) used to pull such crowds, and said the present party leaders, Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, have proven their mettle.
M Selvi, a supporter from Udumalaipettai in Tirupur district, said the large turnout is indicative of the popularity of both leaders. However, A Rajendran, a functionary from Lalgudi town of Tiruchirapalli, said not just the crowd, but even the sentiment among voters is in favour of the party.
“Look at the schemes brought out by the AIADMK government. People have got so many freebies, including the recent Pongal gift. There is no water and power scarcity,” he said. Both of them exuded confidence that the party would win the Assembly elections and form the government.
While many AIADMK supporters avoided questions on whether the influence former party member VK Sasikala is likely to exert in the run-up to the elections, some confidently said she is a “non-entity and her release makes no difference to the party’s prospects.”
A union secretary from a southern district, who did not wish to be named, said the party would not have invited such a large number of supporters on the day of Sasikala’s release if the leadership was insecure about the impact she could have on party affairs. “She does not have much influence in the party and the leadership has time and again stated this,” he said.
Hectic day for the police
Around 5,000 police personnel from various districts were deployed to manage the crowd. It was a hectic day for them
Chennai Corporation workers were sent to spot immediately for a clean-up drive after the event As the crowd was massive, the uniformed personnel had a tough time ensuring free flow of traffic in and around the area