Kovai residents play wait and watch game for mayoral election
AIADMK mayor candidate Rajkumar canvasses for votes at Podanur in Coimbatore on Saturday. - DC
Coimbatore: When the fleet of about 40 two-wheelers, a Swift, two Scorpio, one Bolero, an Innova and a remodelled Ex-207 D1 carrying AIADMK mayor candidate Rajkumar and his 15 cadres, zoomed on to the battered Mettur roads near Ganeshapuram, residents were taken aback. They had filed several complaints with the city corporation regarding the poor quality of the roads in the last three years, with little response.
“This might be the first and last visit of the politicians to our area. Look at our battered roads. These roads were cleaned up only two days ago. Garbage bins were emptied just this morning,” said Amulraj, a security guard, who has so far been a consistent AIADMK voter. Amulraj waved hands at enthusiastic cadres who trundled through the dusty and damaged Mettur road. “This time, I will take the final decision minutes before reaching the polling booth,” he said.
Several residents in Podanur who witnessed the campaign by the AIADMK gave mixed responses about their choices. R. Kunjamma (57) of Muthu Nagar doubts if they will get regular drinking water supply after the polls. “Drinking water is supplied once in 20 days; that, too, for two hours. Each household here fills just four pots of water. But on Saturday morning, drinking water was supplied for almost three hours. We understood that this is part of the campaign for the mayoral election,” said Kunjamma, a petty shop owner. Her neighbour R. Iyamma said streetlights and proper roads are the demands of many women in Muthu Nagar.
Pavement fruitseller S. Kalaimani (40) of Ukkadam is an AIADMK loyalist. “I know there are irregularities, but I like MGR and that's the sole reason I vote for the AIADMK in every election,” says Kalaimani. “I have to work to save my children. This election doesn't matter much in my life,” she said.
After reaching out to voters in Mettur, Ganeshapuram and Eswaran Nagar, AIADMK mayoral candidate Rajkumar stopped at Sundarapuram in the afternoon. Reacting to the woes of the voters, he said, “I have charted plans already. My priority is to put an end to the drinking water shortage. I will ensure that Coimbatoreans get regular water supply. Multi-level parking facility will be my second target,” he summed up.
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