With nine districts going to polls on Wednesday and Saturday for rural local bodies, the two principal players — the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its arch rival All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — are viewing the elections as an opportunity to demonstrate their strength again.
The eagerness of the two Dravidian majors can be gauged from the fact that they are contesting in most wards for panchayat unions and district panchayats, leaving limited space to their allies. Functionaries of the parties are hopeful of their organisations improving upon their performances in the Assembly election.
Explaining why he was confident of his party increasing its share of the pie, Chitlapakkam C. Rajendran, Chengalpattu (west) district secretary of the AIADMK and former Member of Parliament from Chennai South, said people had started feeling “disenchanted” with the DMK government, as it has not implemented many of its promises made during the Assembly election, such as the payment of ₹1,000 a month to homemakers. Besides, the previous regime, led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, had “carried out a number of welfare measures for the people and development projects for local bodies”.
When pointed out that even during the Assembly election, the AIADMK-led alliance, which had the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) then, was significantly behind the DMK-led front in Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts, Mr. Rajendran replied that the departure of the PMK from the alliance would not have any impact, as “ground reality had changed qualitatively”.
However, C.V.M.P. Ezhilarasan, Kancheepuram DMK legislator and the party’s State secretary of the students’ wing, disagreed with him and emphasised that the government had implemented certain measures that were not even promised during the Assembly poll. In addition to the payment of ₹4,000 to all rice-drawing cardholders as part of COVID-19 relief, it had provided 13 grocery items to the people.
“When you explain the government’s difficulties in fulfilling certain assurances to the people, they do appreciate our position and are convinced of our explanation, as they are confident about ours being a party that honours its promises,” he said.
The DMK legislator said the move to have the elections itself had exhibited the government’s “sincerity” in ensuring that the people get effective provision of basic amenities through elected bodies.
On the likely perfomance of the parties, G. Palanithurai, veteran academcian, acknowledged that the image being enjoyed by the government of being “responsive” to issues of the people was among the factors that could go to the advantage of the ruling formation. But in local body polls, “local influence of local leaders” is more important than political arithmetic, he added.
