Ramanathapuram district’s Tiruvadanai Assembly constituency is witnessing a multi-cornered contest with sitting Congress MLA Karumanickam in the fray against AIADMK’s Keerthika, TVK’s Rajeev and Naam Tamilar Katchi’s Premnath.
The seat has a long history of being represented by members of the same family over three generations, with Karumanickam being the latest in that line.
However, local resentment has reportedly grown over allegations that the sitting MLA stayed away from the constituency for five years and did not address public issues. The discontent is said to have extended to DMK functionaries in the alliance, with several key DMK leaders focusing their field work in neighbouring constituencies.
To contain the fallout, DMK functionaries were reportedly “taken care of”, according to the report. Meanwhile, an assessment agency is said to have informed the Congress leadership that the party is trailing due to the momentum of the TVK candidate and the local influence enjoyed by the AIADMK candidate.
The report adds that money has allegedly been deployed first for postal votes, and that the Congress side is preparing to extend similar efforts to general voters as well.
