The Karur constituency is poised for a high-octane battle of heavyweights, with Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar of the AIADMK and former Transport Minister V. Senthil Balaji of the DMK crossing swords.
Amid mutual accusations over the use of money power, the constituency is witnessing fierce and hectic electioneering.
Mr. Balaji returned to his home turf with the aim of taking Mr. Vijayabhaskar, his long-time political rival, head-on. He won from the constituency as the AIADMK nominee in 2006 and 2011. But in 2016, he was shifted to Aravakurichi by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who also stripped him of the district secretary’s post. He was disqualified as a legislator for rebelling against Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and switching loyalties to the AMMK. He later joined the DMK and won the byelection in Aravakurichi in 2019.
According to an industrialist, there has been a shortage of workers in Karur since the announcement of the election, as a section of male workers had been lured by the parties. It is a month-long festival for the workers as they get flooded with “money, liquor and biryani”.
Drinking water scarcity is a major election issue here. Though the Amaravathi runs through the town and the Cauvery is close by, residents have been suffering from water shortage as supply is limited to once every five days.
Environmentalists are up in arms over the discharge of untreated effluents by dyeing units into the Noyyal and Amaravathi. The tussle between the AIADMK and the DMK over the construction of a new bus stand, a long-pending demand of the residents, is another major issue.
The town, a major home textile manufacturing and export hub, came to a standstill with the mobilisation of thousands by the DMK and the AIADMK on Monday, when Mr. Balaji and Mr. Vijayabhaskar filed nominations.
Though the MNM, the NTK and the DMDK have fielded their candidates, the real fight is between Mr. Balaji and Mr. Vijayabhaskar. Both of them are leaving no stone unturned to win the confidence of the voters.
The constituency has a sizeable population of the influential Kongu Vellala Gounders, besides Mudaliars, Pillais, Vanniars, Chettiars and Dalits. Both Mr. Balaji and Mr. Vijayabhaskar are Kongu Vellala Gounders, and view the election as a ‘do or die’ battle.
Expecting a fierce fight from Mr. Balaji, Mr. Vijayabhaskar launched an image-boosting drive by planting hundreds of roadside trees across the town several months ago. The MRV trust, which is named after him, has been maintaining the trees well. Mr. Vijayabhaskar has garnered the trust of a section of the electorate by “attending and sponsoring” social, cultural and community functions. A section of entrepreneurs who own textile and bus body building units feels that the Minister has acted as a bridge in solving grievances.
It was during his tenure as a Minister that the Government Medical College was set up. Using his proximity to the Chief Minister, Mr. Vijayabhaskar has fulfilled most of his promises to the electorate, party functionaries claim.
Banking on his familiarity with the electorate, Mr. Balaji has been going door-to-door to seek voters’ support. His tendency to change political affiliations frequently and his sudden rise in the party ranks has triggered discontent among a section of DMK cadre.
Karur is a citadel of the AIADMK. Of the polls held here since 1977, the party won seven, the DMK three, and the Congress one. Mr. Vijayabhaskar won the 2016 election by a narrow margin of 441 votes. But given the changed political equations and the high stakes involved, the constituency appears headed for a photo finish.