Curtains down on campaigning for Vikravandi byelection

High-voltage campaign in Vikravandi assembly constituency ahead of by-election with DMK, PMK, and NTK leaders trading barbs.

The curtains came down on the month-long high-voltage campaign in Vikravandi assembly constituency in Villupuram district on Monday, ahead of the byelection on July 10. Key leaders of the DMK, PMK and the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) hit the campaign trail with a whirlwind tour of the constituency trading barbs, charges and counter-charges in the run-up to the by-poll to make last-ditch efforts to woo the voters.

The DMK deputed a battery of Ministers, MLAs and MPs to the constituency by dividing work among them from the day the election was notified. To match the DMK show, the PMK too tried its best to engage all alliance leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in their campaigning.

The DMK campaign mainly centred on the implementation of welfare schemes over the last three years while the PMK focused on the failures of the DMK on the law and order front especially the recent hooch tragedy and its delay in providing 10.5 % internal reservation for Vanniyars and conducting a caste-wise census in the State.

While the DMK’s campaign was led by Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin, the PMK’s campaign was led by its founder S. Ramadoss and his son and party president Anbumani Ramadoss.

Mr. Udhayanidhi campaigned for the second day from Thumbur and went around Nemur and Radhapuram, before ending his campaign in Vikravandi. He appealed to the voters to ensure the victory of the DMK candidate by a margin of 1 lakh votes to continue with the good work done by the former MLA N. Pugazhenthi. The AIADMK had boycotted the byelection fearing yet another debacle as was seen in the recent Lok Sabha polls, he claimed.

The PMK’s campaign mainly targeted Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and said he had no right to talk about social justice. The DMK had always claimed to champion welfare schemes that ensured social justice, but in reality, it had done nothing to ensure social justice to the weak and the marginalised sections of society.

Canvassing votes for party candidate C. Anbumani at Soorapattu, party president Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday asked voters in Vikravandi “not to waste their vote on the DMK” as the party lacked any roadmap for the development of the State.