Like all Assembly election candidates and the party leaders frequenting their constituencies to campaign for votes, AIADMK MLA Manickam, too, visited his constituency of Sholavandan in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. The candidate was, however, taken by surprise when he reached the Sevakadu village in Sholavandan.
Several women in the village stood in a line, holding a plate of rice, symbolising an aarti, which is traditionally used to welcome a guest. When the women started taking aarti (the ritual), the incumbent MLA noticed the rice on the plate - the grains were yellow in colour and some black. That was the poor-quality rice that the residents, the ration card holders, were distributed at public distribution shops in the region.
In a video, a woman can be seen asking, "How can we eat this? Aren't we humans too? We are loyal AIADMK voters but now what's the point in voting for the "two leaves" symbol when we don't get back anything in return? "
As the MLA started talking to the people, an argument ensued. Following this, the Sholavandan candidate immediately said that he will send the officials concerned to the village on Thursday to check the issue.
It was after his assurance that the residents allowed the MLA to continue the campaign.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Ministers and MLAs are holding marathon campaigns ahead of the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The upcoming poll is the first Assembly election that the AIADMK is set to face post the demise of its supremo, J Jayalalithaa. This election may prove as a test to the incumbent government post the ‘Amma’s regime.’
The AIADMK is taking up several campaign strategies to woo the voters. On Tuesday, AIADMK’s IT wing launched a campaign where LED screens were mounted on a four-wheeler to highlight the party’s welfare scheme and efforts during the pandemic. The IT wing also said that they have plans to establish the LED campaigns in all the 234 constituencies.
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will go to the polls on April 6 and the counting will be held on May 2.