Kovilpatti: School dropout A. Subramanian will take on ‘classmate’ Vaiko at Kovilpatti in the May 16 state poll. “I am confident of victory”, said the DMK candidate, who like Vaiko, takes pride in his tutelage under the late Annadurai, founder of the DMK and the most revered guru of all Dravidian leaders.
Ending the suspense over his candidature, Vaiko announced at his campaign rally at Chennai’s Anna Nagar on Saturday that he would contest the Kovilpatti seat (Thoothukudi district). First he said ‘Kovilpatti’ and after a pause, added, ‘pambaram’ (top). Disappointed that the audience did not react as robustly as he would have loved them to, he prompted, “Why, won’t you applaud if the candidate’s name is not announced? Adiyen Vaiko (I, Vaiko) is the candidate”. The crowd burst into applause.
Vaiko is contesting a state election after a long time—the last outing was at Vilathikulam close to native Kalingapatti in 1996, when he lost to DMK’s Ravishankar by little over 600 votes. He had been a Rajya Sabha member for 18 years and often reveled in unleashing flowery rhetoric while educating his audience, in the Parliament and outside, on world affairs more than domestic issues.
In contrast, ‘classmate’ Subramanian is a simpleton in the true sense. “I am a staunch DMK worker, been in the party for the last three decades. I have read only up to fifth class but then, I have read quite well the aspirations of my people and am determined to work hard to fulfill them”, said the 50-year-old farmer hailing from Kazhugumalai, barely 15 km from Kovilpatti town. He flaunts the ‘evidence’ that the locals too like him—he is the elected town panchayat president while his wife is the vice-president.
“I am the son of the soil whereas Vaiko is an outsider. Why would my people vote for him? Besides, he had betrayed Kalaignar and every DMK cadre will be working hard to ensure his defeat”, said Subramanian. The DMK candidate insists he has another ‘trump’ card in his pocket—his being a Thevar while his rivals Vaiko and Ramanujam Ganesh (AIADMK) are both Naidus.
“This is the first time in the last 50 years that a Thevar has got this seat. You can well imagine our excitement”, said the DMK candidate, implying there could be a Thevar vote consolidation. “There are over 70,000 Thevar votes in this constituency, whereas there are only 52,000 Naidus and they will be split between Vaiko and Ganesh”.
Ramanujam Ganesh rubbishes the caste factor, arguing that Kovilpatti has been an AIADMK stronghold “right from 1991”. Either his party or its ally has been winning here throughout. “My victory is already chiseled on the stone. Amma is the most popular leader and her schemes have reached the people. I will win with a margin of over 40,000 votes”, Ganesh told DC amid his hectic campaigning.
Listening to the confident assertions by his two main rivals and the hectic work going on in their camps, it seems Vaiko has a tough task ahead in Kovilpatti—unless the allies help out with liberal dates.
