CHENNAI: Formed in 2011 after the delimitation exercise, Sholinganallur not only instantly became the Assembly segment with the biggest electorate in the state but also the constituency that exemplified the urbanisation that Tamil Nadu has been witnessing around its major cities and the resultant “rurban” issues that come to the fore.
Comprising the highly urbanised Chennai’s famous IT corridor and the peri-urban areas surrounding it, Sholinganallur has remained a constituency that struggles to catch up with the rapid urbanisation happening largely in an unplanned manner. Though located on the fringes of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), with some parts of it coming under the civic body, the constituency technically comes under Chengalpattu district.
The size of its electorate jumped sharply from around 3.5 lakh in 2011 to 5.75 lakh in 2016 and 6.98 lakh in 2021, mainly driven by the successive governments resettling low-income families who were living along the banks of Cooum and Adyar rivers without patta to large apartment complexes built in Perumbakkam and Ezhil Nagar localities. The recently concluded Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) has brought down the size of the electorate sharply to 5.37 lakh.
In the 2011 election when the DMK faced a huge anti-incumbency wave across the state, the AIADMK won Sholinganallur with its candidate K P Kandan defeating VCK’s S S Balaji, who contested as part of the DMK alliance, by a wide margin of over 27%.
However, the DMK won the subsequent two elections. Its candidate S Aravind Ramesh managed to increase his victory margin as well between 2016 and 2021, fighting against the AIADMK. Besides lack of civic amenities in many areas, flooding in many parts during north-east monsoon is a major issue. After the historic rainfall in 2015 and again in 2023, the state government initiated several measures to tackle flooding including construction of stormwater drains. However, residents say the problems have not been fully resolved.
The different jurisdictions for managing civic issues — the GCC and neighbouring local bodies, including some village panchayats in Chengalpattu district — make the problems difficult to address in a holistic manner, residents said.
While the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board supplies drinking water to some of the added areas, several residents still depend on groundwater or water supplied through private tankers. Residents of Vengaivasal panchayat in particular said they have been facing severe issues due to the lack of proper drinking water supply, drainage facilities and roads.
S Nancy (40), a resident of Semmancheri, said, “The area has several government-led rehabilitation and housing projects with thousands of tenements. However, the open sewage system is the major issue in such colonies. During the north-east monsoon, we suffer a lot due to water stagnation. We have met our MLA several times regarding this issue, but to no avail.”
A Kolappapillai (51), a resident of Jalladianpet near Medavakkam, said, “For the past 10 years, we have been demanding an electric crematorium in the area, but there has been no progress. A Primary Health Centre is functioning in Medavakkam and there is enough space to upgrade it into a government hospital. However, this request is also pending.”
As if to compensate for the inefficiencies pointed out by residents in governance, both the DMK and the AIADMK, which respectively ruled the state for five and 10 years since the constituency came into being, are busy in wooing the electors. A few residents alleged that gift boxes were being distributed to voters clandestinely in some places.
While Kandan, who won in 2011 and has considerable clout in the constituency, is likely to demand the seat again from the AIADMK, a section of functionaries alleged that his popularity has declined and it may be time for the AIADMK to field a new face.
The removal of over a lakh voters during the SIR exercise is likely to have an impact on the election in the DMK’s efforts to retain the constituency for a third time.