'Son of the soil' card trumps everything else in Edappadi

Sitting inside her corner shop, a 59-year-old woman points her finger towards a daily calendar that sports the picture of a smiling Edappadi K Palaniswami. She was asked who she will vote for on April 6 when Tamil Nadu goes to assembly polls.

“Who else we will vote for? Obviously, it is for our mudhalvar (Chief Minister) who has made everyone from this constituency proud,” the woman, who owns the corner shop just yards away from Edappadi K Palaniswami's ancestral house in Siluvampalayam village, told DH.

Another woman not just echoed her sentiments, but went on to list the “achievements” of the mudhalvar. “We get water 24 hours a day,” the second woman said and opened a tap – water gushed from it – to “prove” her statement. “We get power 24/7 and look at the roads in a village. He has done everything for this village and our vote is for him,” she added.

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This sums up the mood in Edappadi, the home constituency of Palaniswami in Salem district in the western (Kongu) region. Swanky roads, flyovers, new buildings for schools, and hospitals, and an integrated market – the rural constituency boasts of “city-like” infrastructure.

“After becoming Chief Minister, Palaniswami brought in all-round development to Edappadi and Salem. He ensured that people here get everything that they need, including clean drinking water and water for irrigation needs. We are happy,” Manickam, who runs a sarbath stall outside Edappadi bus terminus, said.

Palaniswami, a Gounder, is contesting from the Vanniyar-dominated Edappadi constituency, a traditional stronghold of the AIADMK and PMK, for the seventh time – he won four times and lost twice. Besides his popularity and the party's committed vote bank, an alliance with PMK, influential among Vanniyars, is likely to add more weight to Palaniswami. PMK emerged the distant second in pushing the DMK to third slot in 2016 elections.

By fielding Sambathkumar, the DMK is trying to reach out to the Vanniyars in the seat, besides banking on “anti-incumbency” against AIADMK Government to romp home from here. However, Vanniyars seem to support Palaniswami not just because he is Chief Minister, but he passed a legislation to provide 10.5 percent reservation to the community within the 20 percent MBC quota.

Though the general mood is in favour of Palaniswami in the constituency that attained a star status after its MLA was thrust into Chief Minister's chair, youngsters say they are “disappointed” with the incumbent for not doing enough to generate employment for graduates. DMK claims it received 9,000 petitions from youth in the constituency complaining that they are “unemployed.”

“We have roads, electricity, and water. But as youngsters we need jobs also. What do we do without jobs? As Chief Minister, Palaniswami could have easily brought industries to the constituency to give jobs to unemployed youths. But he did not do it. My point is he could have done more,” Arul, a B.E. graduate, said.

Opposition DMK has made “winning” the seat a prestige issue. Party chief M K Stalin conducted a “grama sabha” meeting in the constituency in January, and his half-sister Kanimozhi has campaigned in Edappadi more than once. The DMK is also working “hard” on the ground to win the seat, but the CM's 'son of the soil' plank seems to trump everything else, at least for now.

“He is our man. He has given whatever he can to us. Above all, he is very simple. If he comes to our village, he always makes it a point to meet the villagers. We will meet him on April 6 as he will be here to cast his vote,” Sambu, a farmer, said, pointing to the school building where Palaniswami will exercise his franchise.

Edappadi Assembly Constituency

2016 winner: K Palaniswami (AIADMK)

Runner-up: N Annadurai (PMK)

Margin: 42,022 votes

2021 candidates

K Palaniswami (AIADMK)

T Sambathkumar (DMK)

N Pookadai Sekar (AMMK)

D Thasapparaj (MNM)

Shri Rathna (NTK)

Electorate (2021) 2,84,378 votes