Chennai: DMK chose to forgo its hat-trick opportunity by ceding Pallavaram, which it won in 2016 and 2021, to DMDK, while AIADMK gave the seat to its minor ally, Indiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK). Pallavaram is one of the only two constituencies (the other being Thiruporur) in the Chennai region, where the allies lock horns for Dravidian majors. However, both DMK and AIADMK are working fiercely on the ground for their allies.AIADMK cadres say their candidate Venkatesan has an advantage of the ‘two leaves’ symbol. “We were initially disappointed when the seat was allocated to IJK. But everything changed the moment it was announced that IJK would contest on the ‘two leaves’. For AIADMK, the symbol is its biggest strength. So, we treat Venkatesan as an AIADMK candidate,” said V Jeganathan, an AIADMK councillor from Pammal.V Karunanithi, first zonal chairman of Tambaram corporation and a DMK secretary, says their DMDK candidate Anagai D Murugesan would win by a margin of 50,000 to 70,000 votes due to his experience and familiarity with the voters. “Our thalaivar (M K Stalin) instructed us to work for Murugesan, who has much goodwill among the voters,” he said.Pallavaram constituency was formed in 2008 by carving out portions from Tambaram and Alandur constituencies. It comprises wards from Chennai and Tambaram corporations, as well as village panchayats, including Pozhichalur, Tirusulam, Hasthinapuram, and Nemilichery. Residents say the village panchayats have remained an ignored lot for years.C Murugaiyyan, secretary of Federation of Civic and Welfare Associations of Zones 2 and 3 in Tambaram corporation, says that despite its huge population, Nemilichery remains cut off from the city. “After a lot of struggle, we obtained a subway across Chromepet railway station, but MTC buses cannot use it. The daily wage labourers are forced to spend on autos from the meagre pay they earn. Also, the lakes remain encroached and natural inlets into the lakes have been blocked. During monsoon, the entire area gets waterlogged. For the rest of the year, we have to depend on water tankers in the absence of piped water supply,” he said.Similar problems persist in Pozhichalur as well. Balaji Sivakumar, a resident of Anakaputhur, says the locals would vote for Murugesan. “Had AIADMK’s Chitlapakkam Rajendran contested in Pallavaram, it would have been a tight contest. For now, DMDK has an edge here,” he said.Though TVK has not campaigned as vigorously as the other two parties, both DMK and AIADMK see the Vijay factor as a disruptor.
