Chennai: Brushing aside talk of anti-incumbency, Velachery MLA Aassan Maulaana, who is seeking a re-election, asserts there is no anger against him on the ground. In an interaction with TOI during his campaign, the Congress candidate said he was confident of winning by a comfortable margin.You received backlash for saying in 2023 that floodwater will recede only naturally. Won’t this affect your chances?It’s a smear campaign against me. There was a high tide at that time, and water doesn’t recede during high tide. My comment was misunderstood.DMK lobbied hard for Velachery, but you got the seat. How did it happen? If there was anti-incumbency, they would have taken the seat. There’s no anti-incumbency. Velachery has a lot of educated voters, and they (DMK) thought these people would vote for me. Rahul Gandhi and Kharge have given me their blessings.So DMK is cooperating well with you? Their coordination is amazing.What projects could you not do in five years but wished to? When I initiated a sewerage connection project, govt said let them finish storm water drain work first. This is the project I couldn’t do.What key projects did you do with your MLA funds? I gave most funds to gyms, as I want to focus on public health. The second is bus shelters. Many shelters were removed due to road widening. I have also given funds to schools for RO water, computer labs and smart classrooms. We have also built six ration shops besides park redevelopment. Your victory margin was narrow earlier. With TVK in the mix, will margins get tighter? I will win by 15,000 to 20,000 votes.What’s the one reason people must vote for you? If you want progress, vote for me. I will ensure everyone without pattas gets them.
