Virugambakkam to witness quadrangular contest

Chennai: The metro rail station is the latest addition to Virugambakkam Assembly constituency, the youngest in the city. The constituency, which also abounds in ancient temples, is set to witness a quadrangular contest between the major four in AIADMK, DMK, BJP and DMDK besides PMK which is also in the fray.

As the race to elect the second legislator from this constituency hots up, the doctor-politician and BJP state president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan banks heavily on her service to the people in her 'home' constituency, though she hails from Kanyakumari district, besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi's good governance plank. She knows this constituency like the back of her hand and has been one of the scores of victims whose houses were inundated in the 2015 December deluge.

"I know the problems of this constituency where I have been living for two decades. Had I wished I could have contested from Kanyakumari where I hail from or Coimbatore where I was wedded," Dr Tamilisai,says and adds that she wanted to serve the people starting from her doorstep.

The clinic she operated was known as Rs. 100 scan centre, because she offered sonology service to pregnant women at an affordable price and even waived that sum to those who could not afford to pay. Interestingly, during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Virugambakkam, which forms part of the South Chennai Lok Sabha constituency, had fetched substantial votes for the BJP. These factors could tilt the scales in favour of the BJP.

Despite being a thickly populated busy residential area with numerous educational institutions, Virugambakkam continues to cry out for more amenities.

The widening of the Kaliamman Koil Street, dealing with the blockage of the Virugambakkam canal, sewer backflows, bad road condition, apart from garbage disposal are among the numerous problems affecting the people for years. Drinking water problem is another issue that looms large in this constituency and needs to be addressed immediately.