Tucked away in the northern end of Chennai, Kolathur is neither the largest nor the most affluent assembly constituency. But over the past 15 years, it has emerged as something more than that—one of the most watched constituencies in the state. When voters of Kolathur walk into the polling booths on April 23, they will not only be voting to elect their MLA, but also holding a referendum on chief minister M K Stalin.Kolathur has been Stalin’s political base since 2011, when he shifted here from Thousand Lights and won comfortably. Over the years, the constituency has become a showcase for DMK’s development projects, welfare schemes and civic improvements. Simultaneously, Stalin has built his personal connect with voters, bettering his score with every victory. If the winning margin in 2011 was a thin 2,700, it widened in 2016 to 35,730 and grew to 70,384 in 2021, one of the highest TN has seen.DMK men are confident of a victory and worry only about bettering the victory margin. Because, even a marginal dip in Stalin’s vote share could be projected as a fall in support for the DMK president.Over the past five years, DMK govt has given Kolathur a makeover. Starting from ‘Mudhalvar Padaipagams’ (chief minister study centres) to a new market, ornamental fish centre, AC bus stop, renovated Periyar Nagar tertiary hospital and a host of new buildings, DMK govt has improved infrastructure. “My view about govt facilities changed after visiting Kolathur,’’ said Farhan Muheed, a Saudi Arabia-born MBBS graduate, preparing for his master’s in one of the Mudhalvar Padaipagams.S Rajeswari, a retired accountant from Periyar Nagar, says water logging on 70 feet road (Siva Elango Salai) has been resolved, while another resident says Periyar Nagar tertiary govt hospital has gotten better in terms of facilities.Principal opponent AIADMK is aware of the challenge it is facing. Candidate Santhanakrishnan has been repeatedly flagging local concerns over poor upkeep of interior roads and water logging in a few pockets. He makes it a point to invoke the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa in his campaigns.AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami launched a hard hitting campaign in Kolathur a few days back. “All Stalin does is perpetuate dynastic politics and corruption,’’ he said.TVK’s V S Babutoohas joined the opposition, attacking Stalin. He was a former DMK MLA (2006 – 2011) who later joined AIADMK before switching to TVK. Aged 75, Babu says his field experience coupled with Vijay’s popularity would help him take on Stalin.DMK men say such aspects would make little impact in Kolathur. If Stalin goes on roadshows, interacting with people on the streets, DMK cadres are focusing on grassroots mobilization to increase voter turnout, thereby raising the victory margin. To them, its not the victory, but the scale of victory that matters.
