This time, however, the AIADMK is staring at a close fight with the Opposition DMK battling hard to win over the rural constituency. The DMK is hoping that the sordid sex scandal that hogged the limelight may help them rewrite the poll script of the AIADMK’s fort.

Such is the impact of the issue that DMK president MK Stalin and opposition leaders never miss out an opportunity to flag the AIADMK government’s failure in cracking down the sex scandal mafia and their political links. Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman is locking horns with K Varadharajan of DMK in a two cornered fight in this segment. The issue continues to be a major poll plank for the Opposition not just in Pollachi, but in other constituencies across Tamil Nadu. Though the AIADMK puts up a brave face with a belief that their winning streak could not be ended over a single politicised issue, its impact on the poll outcome could not be written off in the upcoming polls in this agrarian belt.

Poll observers say that the impact of the sex scandal issue turned the tables against the ruling party even in the last Lok Sabha polls. The parliamentary constituency, which was in the hold of AIADMK in both 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha polls, was wrested over by DMK in the 2019 elections with a thumping majority.

“The sex scandal issue has turned out to be a big stain on the rather quaint Pollachi locality. It may reflect in the voting pattern of the people in our locality,” said S Arumugam, a farmer.However, Pollachi V Jayaraman, who has represented the constituency thrice in 2001, 2006 and 2016, is confident of an easy sail banking on the traditionally strong voter base for the ‘Amma’ party coupled with his past achievements. The ruling party holds an enviable track record of having won the agrarian seat nine times since 1971, while the DMK won twice that too once in 1996, when the AIADMK faced a statewide rout due to the strong anti-incumbency factor. In the last Assembly polls, Jayaraman won the seat by defeating Tamilmani R from DMK with a vote margin of 13,368 votes. One of the major demands of the people in the constituency is to carve out Pollachi from Coimbatore and be formed as a separate district. Both the DMK and AIADMK candidates have rolled out a slew of promises, including implementation of Anamalaiyaru and Nallaru water project, setting up a government engineering college, improve rail connectivity from this region, build a cold storage facility for farmers besides improving the local infrastructure.