RAMANATHAPURAM: With multiple O Panneerselvams filing nominations in the constituency, Ramanathapuram has already grabbed enough and more attention of the media and public in general. But beyond this development, there is plenty to discuss with regards to the political scenario in Ramanathapuram, known for its Pamban bridge, tourist spot Dhanushkodi, and pilgrimage centre Rameswaram.
The tri-cornered contest here is between the IUML candidate Navas Kani (44), the incumbent MP fielded by the DMK alliance; the BJP-led NDA alliance’s O Panneerselvam (74), a veteran politician and former chief minister of the state contesting as an Independent; and AIADMK’s P Jayaperumal (62), the district presidium chairman of the party.
While Navas is eyeing his second straight win, the NDA alliance is trying to give him a tough fight by fielding a well-known leader.
The Ramanathapuram constituency consists of six assembly segments, four of which are from Ramanathapuram district — Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi, Mudukulathur and Thiruvadanai — and the remaining Aranthangi and Thiruchuli from Pudukkottai and Virudhunagar districts, respectively.
From the 1950s till the early 1990s, the constituency was a stronghold of the Indian National Congress which had won here six times. In the later years, AIADMK marked its presence with four wins followed by DMK winning three times. TMC, Forward Block Party, and IUML have secured one victory each.
In the 2019 election, Navas secured 4,69,943 votes with a margin of over 1.2 lakh over the BJP (in alliance with AIADMK) candidate Nainar Nagendran who secured 3,42,821 votes. The BJP party has secured 16% to 17% of the votes in the 2009 and 2014 parliamentary elections.
The IUML got a headstart in the campaign this time as it was the first in TN to announce its candidate, the businessman-turned-politician Navas Kani. The AIADMK’s Jayaperumal, a farmer from Virudhunagar and fresher to the poll game, joined the party in 2011. In fact, it is also Panneerselvam’s maiden contest to the Lok Sabha. The ousted AIADMK leader is contesting as an independent candidate on behalf of the NDA with the free symbol of jackfruit. As many as four independents with the name of O Panneerselvam are among the 21 candidates in the race from Ramanathapuram.
In terms of community and religious votes, the district has a prominent Mukkulathor community vote bank. Both OPS and Jayaperumal belong to the community and are competing to win over this bloc.
Voters, upon anonymity, said that minority vote banks are in the Paramakudi area and other segments in the constituency.
The DMK-led alliance is expected to lure both Dalit and minority votes as the DMK initiated the construction of a memorial for late Dalit icon Immanuel Sekaran in Paramakudi and the IUML candidate belongs to a minority community. The Yadava community too makes up a significant number of voters in Mudukulathur and other areas. Notably, a prominent member of the community, former MLA Malaysia S Pandian, has joined the AIADMK and been appointed as the in-charge of the constituency. This could possibly attract Yadava votes.
What the voters say
One of the key concerns of the voters here is the arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line. Recently, the Sri Lankan government started sentencing the boat drivers and in 2024 alone about eight of them were imprisoned in the neighbouring country.
In the agriculture sector, post-harvest loss and irrigation issues worry the people. Though the Cauvery integrated pipelines are catering to the drinking water needs of the region, scarcity still exists.
Boominathan, a voter, said that though the incumbent MP had brought in some development, including provision of educational aid to students and infrastructure, many of his poll promises such as the river linking to solve irrigation woes and expansion of Uchipuli airport remain unachieved. “The same promises are being made this time as well,” he added.
S Vignesh, another voter, said, “Though OPS is a three-time CM, he is new to the region unlike the other two major candidates. However, there is a significant support for him also because he is promising to address our long-pending demands. People believe that as he is a former CM he would find it easier to fulfil the demands.”
All candidates have made assurances to take steps towards retrieving Katchatheevu and aiding the fishermen to safely fish in the sea, said Sahayam, a fishermen leader. “But these have remained just promises for several years. Hundreds of our boats are in Sri Lanka and fishermen are suffering in the prison there. All we expect is a safe atmosphere for fishers of both countries,” he added.
“Retrieving Katchatheevu won’t solve the problem. Although BJP was in power for 10 years, the issue was brought to the fore just before the election. It won’t turn into votes, at least among the fishermen,” opined another fisher representative.
Discussing the challenges of farmers, MSK Bakkianathan from Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association said, “Despite being known for its drought situation, the region has more than 1.5 lakh hectares of farmland. Post-harvest loss remains a major issue. Increasing the MSP for paddy to `3,500-4,000 per quintal and fixing MSP for cotton, chilli crops, and palm jaggery is the need of the hour. We expect the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar scheme to be initiated to solve the water woes.”
B Jegadeesan, president of Ramanathapuram Chamber of Commerce, said that relief from electricity tariff and GST to aid the MSMEs and traders is one of the major expectations. For the development of the tourism sector, a glass guard wall could be placed near the old Pamban bridge and the Rameswaram-Sri Lanka ferry service could be initiated.