Chennai: The DMK functionaries in Kancheepuram district are hoping to break the stronghold of rival AIADMK using the resentment of people due to the December floods and PWA’s potential to cut into the ruling party’s votes.
In 2011 elections, AIADMK won all 10 constituencies in the district. Nearly half of the 10 constituencies in the district are located near the city and the DMK hopes to overcome the AIADMK’s challenge in such urban seats.
These five seats are populated by workers, both white and blue collar, whose occupation is based in Chennai. The mood of Chennai electorate finds an echo in these suburban areas and the issues of infrastructure development and employment generation dominate their preference.
After the December floods, there is an increasing awareness among the electorate on environmental issues like encroachment of lakes and their canals.
The rapid urbanisation and growth of real estate sector has led to disappearance of water bodies and pollution of water, air and land. The pangs of urbanisation and solutions to them occupy the voters’ minds. The DMK has already begun its campaign stressing on solutions to environmental problems and infrastructure issues.
The party is working with optimism in Alandur, Pallavaram, Tambaram and Sriperumbudur constituencies. The DMK functionaries expect the DMDK-PWA alliance, which has a sizeable vote share here, to cut into the AIADMK votebank, rather than that of DMK. But, constituencies far away from the city pose a problem for the DMK. They include Kancheepuram, Madurantagam, Sholinganallur and Cheyyur.
The issues in rural constituencies are centred around agriculture and problems in paddy procurement. The growing real estate sector is shrinking the agriculture area in those constituencies and farmers prefer to sell their lands and go for other jobs in companies and construction works. In Kancheepuram constituency, the problems of weavers occupy the centrestage.
