A lesser known seat jumps into limelight

Cuddalore: 

         The Rishivandhiyam Assembly constituency has aroused a lot of curiosity among psephologists and people who are posing two questions: Will actor-turned-politician and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam leader Vijayakant win the seat? Or will S.Sivaraj, four-time Congress MLA, retain the seat?

          But for Mr. Vijayakant's option to contest the seat, Rishivandhiyam would have remained one of the also-ran constituencies. The question dominant in the minds of the electorate is why Mr. Vijayakant has shifted from Vriddhachalam and settled for far-flung Rishivandhiyam. Mr. Vijayakant has gone on record stating that he has the liberty to contest in any of the constituencies, and moreover there is religious similarity between Vriddhachalam and Rishivandhiyam (the presiding deity in the former is Vriddhagiriswarar and in the latter Arthaneeswarar).

          The versions doing the rounds are that Rishivandhiyam is his in-laws' place and also he wants to capitalise on the strained relation between the sitting MLA and DMK MP Adhi Sankar. Whether it is his affinity with or attraction to the place, the most daunting task before Mr. Vijayakant is that he has to win the confidence of the electorate. The people of this Assembly segment have been yearning for much-needed basic amenities and infrastructure.

           For seeking redressal of every administrative and local problems, they would have to go to the panchayat union office located at Pagandai Cross Roads, and for getting treatment for chronic ailments or accident cases they would have to go either to Kallakurichi or Villupuram, about 50 km away. This is primarily a pastoral segment which has hardly any trace of urbanisation about it.

           Employment problem is quite acute and hence, there is a large-scale migration, year round. A large chunk of the 2,06,275-strong electorate, including 1,06,698 men and 1,00,011 women and 16 aravanis, is labourers eking out a frugal living. Owing to poor road condition, there is skeletal public transport, which severely affects the school-going children.

Of course, Mr. Sivaraj has been elected four times from the constituency: 

             viz., in 1984, 1996, 2001 and 2006 but the big question mark is whether he can expect the same kind of support this time around. The DMDK, which already felt the pulse of the electorate in the 2006 Assembly poll and in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, has now joined hands with the AIADMK and with combined strength, as seen in the aggregate voting percentage, Mr. Vijayakant has been emboldened to take on Mr. Sivaraj. In this, the track record of Mr. Vijayakant as an MLA in the Vriddhachalam constituency has little relevance.

          With the solid backing of the PMK and the VCK, Mr. Sivaraj seems also poised for another innings. The outcome will determine the future political prospects of not only Mr. Vijayakant but the DMDK itself. Hence, the campaign managers in both the camps are awaiting the D-Day with palpitating hearts while the electorate holds the key for their making or undoing.

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Promises will be kept says Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram

EXUDING HOPE: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram addressing a public meeting int Vriddhachalam on Saturday.

CUDDALORE: 

         Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has categorically said that each one of the promises given in the current election manifesto of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is possible and will be kept, and therefore, the people can have trust and vote for the Democratic Progressive Alliance candidates in the Assembly elections.

         He was addressing a public meeting at Vriddhachalam in support of Congress candidate T. Needhi Rajan on Saturday. In fact after the election he would meet M.Karunanidhi to request him to give both free grinder and mixer to the people. He denounced the opinion poll predicting defeat for the ruling alliance as an exercise in futility, because it went wrong in the earlier two elections and disproved the so-called anti-incumbency factor.

          Both developmental works and welfare schemes were essential for the people and hence, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and DPA leader M.Karunanidhi, acting with such double vision, had been providing them these in adequate measures, he said. He recalled that during the 2006 elections he told the people of Tamil Nadu that the then poll manifesto of the DMK was very much possible, even though the opposition parties raised serious doubts over its implementation and the DMK men stood wonderstruck.

        Those who go by their conscience would know that Mr Karunanidhi had fulfilled all the promises such as supply of rice at Re 1 a kg and writing off farm loans to the tune of Rs 7,500 crore. In fact, Mr Karuananidhi had shown the way for the Centre to waive farm loans to the extent of Rs 72,000 crore across the country. Besides this, he also implemented the unannounced promises such as construction of concrete houses, introduction of “108” ambulance services and life-saving treatment for the ordinary people in corporate hospitals.

       Mr Chidambaram said that whereas the previous five-year regime of Jayalalithaa was full of bitterness such as en masse dismissal of 1.5 lakh government employees, imposition of the ESMA and TESMA, sacking of the road workers, closure of the uzhavar sandhais, posing threat to the minority communities with the law against conversion, “ludicrous ban” on animal sacrifice in the places of worship and the midnight arrest of Mr Karuananidhi. During her rule the economic condition of the State was in a bad shape, he said. He questioned Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam leader Vijayakant about the reason for shifting his constituency from Vriddhachalam to Rishivandhiym. After all, he (Mr Chidambaram) was contesting the elections from the same Sivaganga seat for the past 25 years.

          Mr Chidambaram gave an assurance to the voters that Congress candidate Mr Needhi Rajan, a native of Vriddhachalam, would stay on in the constituency and serve the people. If elected he would again be fielded in the 2016 elections so as to ensure continuity, Mr Chidambaram added. Cuddalore MP K.S.Alagiri and former MP Vallal Peruman also participated.

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கடலூர் மாவட்டத்தில் அ.தி.மு.க. கூட்டணி வேட்பாளர்களை ஆதரித்து விஜயகாந்த் பிரச்சாரம்

சிதம்பரம்:

          தே.மு.தி.க., பத்தோடு பதினொன்றல்ல; முதல் கட்சி என்பதை நிரூபிப்பேன்,'' என, சிதம்பரத்தில் விஜயகாந்த் பேசினார்.
 

சிதம்பரம் மா.கம்யூ., பாலகிருஷ்ணன், அ.தி.மு.க., வேட்பாளர்கள் புவனகிரி செல்வி ராமஜெயம், காட்டுமன்னார் கோவில் முருகுமாறன், தே.மு.தி.க., வேட்பாளர்கள் தமிழ் அழகன், விருத்தாசலம் முத்துகுமார் ஆகியோரை ஆதரித்து சிதம்பரம், சேத்தியாதோப்பு, பெண்ணாடம், திட்டக்குடி, தொழுதூர், வேப்பூர், விருத்தாசலம் பகுதிகளில் தே.மு.தி.க., தலைவர் விஜயகாந்த் பேசியது:
 

                கருணாநிதி தனது அனுபவத்தை எழுதப் போவதாகக் கூறியுள்ளார். அவரது அனுபவம் என்ன என்று எனக்கு புரியவில்லை. சோனியாவும், கருணாநிதியும் சாதனைகளைச் சொல்லி ஓட்டு கேளுங்கள் என்கின்றனர். விலைவாசி உயர்வை சாதனையாகச் சொல்லி ஓட்டு கேட்க முடியுமா?நான் கூட்டத்திற்குச் செல்லாமல் புறக்கணித்து விட்டதாக மாறி மாறி, "டிவி'யில் போடுகின்றனர். இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு முன்னரே பங்கேற்க முடியாது என, ஜெயலலிதாவிடம் தெரிவித்து விட்டேன்.திருமாவளவன் எனக்கு வரலாறு தெரியுமா என்று கேட்கிறார். வரலாறு அவசியமில்லை; மக்கள் பிரச்னை தெரிய வேண்டும் என்பது தான் முக்கியம். அம்பேத்கர் படி, படி என்றார். அவர் பெயரைச் சொல்லி, அந்த மக்களை தடியைக் கொண்டு எல்லாரையும் அடிக்கச் சொல்கிறார் திருமாவளவன். 

               இது தான் உங்கள் கொள்கை லட்சணம்.திருமாவளவன் இலங்கை சென்று ராஜபக்ஷேவிடம் கை குலுக்கி விருந்து சாப்பிட்டு விட்டு, இங்கு வந்ததும் அவரை கைது செய்யக்கோரி நாடகமாடுகிறார். நான் தனித்தன்மை இழந்து விட்டதாக ராமதாஸ் சொல்கிறார். பத்தோடு பதினொன்றாக என்னை நினைக்கிறார். நான் பத்தில் முதல் கட்சி என்பதை நிரூபிக்கிறேன். ராமதாஸ் போராளி என்கிறார். அவர் எந்த விதத்தில் போராளி. மகனுக்காக கட்சி நடத்துகிறார். பா.ம.க., - வி.சி., சேர்ந்து விட்டதாகக் கூறுகின்றனர். 

                 அவர்கள் மீது உள்ள வழக்குகளில் இருந்து தப்பிக்கத் தான் கூட்டணி சேர்ந்துள்ளனர்.பிரபாகரன் தாயார் மருத்துவ சிகிச்சை பெற தமிழகம் வந்தபோது, காங்., அரசு அனுமதிக்கவில்லை. கருணாநிதி உண்மையான தமிழர் என்றால், உடனே காங்., கூட்டணியில் இருந்து வெளியேறியிருக்க வேண்டாமா? உலகக் கோப்பையில் இலங்கையை இந்தியா வென்றது போல், தி.மு.க., கூட்டணியை அ.தி.மு.க., கூட்டணி வெல்லும். விருத்தாசலத்தில், எனக்கு பதிலாக முத்துகுமார் போட்டியிடுகிறார். தவித்த வாய்க்கு ஐந்து ஆண்டாக தண்ணீர் கொடுத்தேன். கம்ப்யூட்டர் பள்ளி, தையல் பள்ளி தொடர்ந்து நடைபெறும். அ.தி.மு.க., பொதுச் செயலர் ஜெயலலிதா நல்லது செய்வார்; முத்துகுமாரும் நல்லது செய்வார். அவரை வெற்றி பெறச் செய்யுங்கள்.இவ்வாறு விஜயகாந்த் பேசினார்.

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I will not forget Vriddhachalam forever, says Vijayakant

CUDDALORE: 

        Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam founder Vijayakant has said that he will not forget Vriddhachalam for his life because it elected him as MLA in 2006.

       He made this observation while canvassing votes for party candidate V.Muthukumaran at Vriddhachalam on Thursday. He further said that he had set up free computer centres and sewing classes in Vriddhachalam, which he would not dismantle but continue to patronise even though he had shifted his constituency to Rishivandhiyam.

         Mr. Vijayakant recounted the arrangements made for supplying drinking water to Vriddhachalam residents through tankers and other welfare measures initiated by him. Later, at Thittakudi, Mr. Vijayakant campaigned for party candidate K. Tamilalagan. He called upon the voters to extend their support to AIADMK-led alliance to redress their grievances. Speaking at Chidambaram, Mr. Vijayakant said that several promises made by the ruling dispensation remained only on paper and prominent among them was the distribution of two acres of land to landless farmers.

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General Observers arrive in Cuddalore

CUDDALORE: 

         Five general observers in Cuddalore district arrived and started their work on Saturday, according to P. Seetharaman, Collector and District Election Officer.

In a statement here, he gave the contact numbers of the observers: 

Thittakudi and Vriddhachalam - Dharam Veer, Pennadam Sugarmill Guest House - contact numbers 75987 00260 and 04142-222237; 

Neyveli and Panruti - T.T.Antony, Neyveli Guest House Room No. 203 - 75987 00261 and 04142-252222; 

Cuddalore and Kurinjipadi - D.S. Dhok Rajurkar, Circuit House new building Room No.2 - cell No. 75987 00262 and 04142-230355; 

Bhuvanagiri and Chidambaram - Shalini Mishra, Chidambaram PWD Inspection Bungalow - 75987 00263 and 04144-238108; 

Kattumannarkoil - Ramesh Krishnan, Neyveli Guset House Room No.205-75987 00264 and 04142-252222.

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Lone nomination filed in Cuddalore

CUDDALORE: 

         R. Panneer, State secretary of the Lok Jan Sakthi, on Saturday was the lone candidate who filed his nomination for the Chidambaram Assembly constituency on the first day of the registration for elections.

          Chidambaram Returning Officer Indumathi received the nomination papers proposed by 10 supporters. In eight other Assembly segments in the district, no candidates filed papers. District Collector P. Seetharaman visited Neyveli and Vriddhachalam to inspect the offices where the nominations would be received. Later, he reviewed the security arrangements in all the nine Assembly constituencies.

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