A long-held political belief in Ramanathapuram is that the party winning the constituency goes on to form the government. Against this backdrop, sitting MLA Kadharbatcha has been working to retain the seat by focusing on minority voters and his supportive vote base.
According to local accounts, he has sought to consolidate support by distributing household items such as silver bowls, plates, tumblers and spoons in recent days.
Within the AIADMK, many cadres and even some from other parties viewed former minister Manikandan as a strong candidate to challenge the incumbent. However, amid internal differences in the AIADMK, the Ramanathapuram seat was allotted to alliance partner BJP.
The decision has triggered sharp dissatisfaction among Manikandan, his supporters and AIADMK functionaries. In this situation, fishermen from Rameswaram, Pamban and Thangachimadam have pasted posters across the constituency urging party leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami to secure the seat for the AIADMK, leaving BJP workers worried that the discontent could hurt their prospects.
