TIRUCHY: With Assembly elections less than a year away, Manachanallur MLA S Kathiravan has launched a campaign titled ‘Makkaludan Manachanallur Kathiravan’ — notably on the same day the state government inaugurated its ‘Ungaludan Stalin’ outreach.
The campaign was flagged off by Municipal Administration Minister and DMK principal secretary K N Nehru. Framed as a grievance redressal drive, Kathiravan’s initiative will see him meet residents across all 63 panchayats in his constituency over the coming months.
Every evening, around 6 pm, party functionaries assemble people in a common place, where they air their issues to the MLA. Most of their questions are regarding the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai, MGNREGS job cards, house patta, etc. The MLA listens to them, promises follow-up.
The meetings invariably end with a serving of piping hot biriyani. The pattern is the same in every meeting.
In a district with nine MLAs, Kathiravan’s campaign has raised eyebrows.
“This is about reconnecting with voters and signalling that Kathiravan may be named as candidate in 2026,” said a senior DMK functionary, requesting anonymity.
“Manachanallur is not an automatic win for us. Ever since the constituency was created in 2008, AIADMK won in 2011 and 2016. In 2021, Kathiravan wrested the seat. It’s one of those swing seats where ground engagement makes a difference,” said a source close to Kathiravan’s team.
For Kathiravan, the programme is more about visibility. Party insiders see it as a “soft launch” of his re-election bid which is backed by Nehru, who enjoys significant clout in the party and shares community ties with Kathiravan.
The move is seen as a strategic pre-emptive strike, made well before rivals step in.