TIRUPPUR: Major parties are eyeing to wrest the Tiruppur South legislative assembly constituency in the upcoming state election. Both the DMK, which won the constituency last time, and the CPM, which gave up the constituency for the sake of an alliance with the former, are keen to have it in their kitty.
The BJP too would like to make a mark in the constituency which has 1.93 lakh voters. Its ally AIADMK regularly contests from the seat. Tiruppur South was created during the delimitation of constituencies in 2008. In the first Assembly election here in 2011 CPM candidate K Thangavel won as part of the AIADMK alliance.AIADMK candidate S Gunasekaran won in the 2016 election with DMK candidate K Selvaraj coming second and CPM candidate K Thangavel, third.
However, DMK candidate K Selvaraj won the 2021 election. In that election, the CPM had demanded the seat, citing its earlier success. Being a hub of industrial workers, the CPM wanted to keep it but the party gave it up to the DMK for the sake of alliance dharma. But this time, the CPM is keen to contest as part of the DMK-led alliance.
But sitting DMK MLA Selvaraj also wants to contest from this constituency. Selvaraj pins hopes on the Muslim votes in the constituency as Tiruppur South tops in numbers of the community in Tiruppur district. It is said he sailed through last time because of Muslim vote. Selvaraj has already submitted an application expressing his willingness to contest the upcoming election.
Party sources say Selvaraj has been a popular face of the DMK in urban areas of Tiruppur. But it is said there is a cold war between him and Local Minister MP Saminathan and the mayor of Tiruppur city.
In addition, his recent protest against the corporation administration over the garbage issue has upset the local party unit. If Selvaraj is denied the opportunity, the opportunity may be given to someone he recommends on the basis of him being the District Secretary.
Then TNIE tried to contact Selvaraj in this regard, he said he was in a meeting. C Moorthy, District Secretary of CPM, said, "We did not get any seats in the West Zone in the last election. So this time we are definitely asking for Tiruppur South. We gave it up for the good of the alliance in the last election." On the other side of the political divide, S Gunasekaran, who contested the last two times on behalf of AIADMK, has died.
An AIADMK functionary said, "About 20 people, including Gunasekaran's wife Kavitha, former minister MSM Anandan, councillors Anbagam Tirupathi and Kannappan, have expressed interest in contesting in the Tiruppur South. No matter who the party leadership allocates seats to, we will work for victory in the election.
We know that the BJP is also asking for this constituency." But the BJP is also trying to take the constituency from the AIADMK. Party sources are floating the names of some people, including the party's state general secretary AP Muruganandam.
"Apart from Tiruppur South, we also want to contest from Tiruppur North and Palladam constituencies. Muruganandam and many other eligible candidates have sought seats. We'll have to wait a bit for the outcome," a senior BJP functionary of Tiruppur said. Tiruppur South has 289 booths and a total of 193614 voters, including 94,579 males, 99,011 females, and 24 third gender voters.