“We have not recovered. With each passing day, the pain only grows,’’ says V Jayasri, grandmother of two year-old Dhruv Vishnu, the youngest victim of the Sept 27 stampede in Karur, pointing to a framed picture of the child inside her house.“Every time his mother, who cannot speak, looks at his photograph and cries, it hurts m e even more,” she says.Ananda Jothi, who lost his wife and two children in the tragedy, struggles to find words to explain his grief. “I am left all alone now,” he says quietly. Yet, many of the bereaved families do not hold actor-politician Vijay or his party responsible for the stampede at Velusamipuram in Karur where 41 people died.“The house feels empty. But I do not hold Vijay responsible or blame state govt. It was an unfortunate incident,” Ananda Jothi adds.The stampede triggered a political blame game. While TVK, BJP and AIADMK alleged a conspiracy by DMK and targeted Karur strongman Senthilbalaji, DMK attributed the stampede to Vijay’s delayed arrival.There are accusations levelled against each other in the campaigns. A few days ago, former BJP state president K Annamalai spoke about the incident, attacked Senthilbalaji. But other issues have started dominating the poll scene, as families of the victims as well as the public say their voting decision would not be influenced by the stampede.“I have not decided whom to vote for yet,” says P Devendran, who lost his wife. K Sakthivel, who lost his wife and daughter, echoes a similar sentiment. As an afterthought, Sakthivel adds, “I may still vote for Vijay, for the sake of my family who wanted him to win.”TVK candidate V P Mathiazhagan has been visiting the victims’ families as part of his campaign. “There is no anger against Vijay. People understand we had nothing to do with the incident,” he says.The shadow of the tragedy still looms large, but changing political dynamics take centre stage.This is the first time former minister Senthilbalaji is not contesting anywhere in Karur district since 2006. His absence in Karur has given his key challenger, former AIADMK minister M R Vijayakabaskar, some confidence.DMK, however, is working to retain its base. Its candidate, M Thiagarajan, a newcomer handpicked by Senthilbalaji, promises to continue the work.DMK functionaries say, since Senthilbalaji has shifted base, he has deployed more resources than before to ensure victory. “In 2021, when he moved to Karur, he got the DMK candidate a win at his home constituency Aravakurichi. This time too, though he is not here, he will ensure Thiagarajan’s victory,’’ say DMK men. Senthilbalaji’s brother Ashok, known locally as ‘Chinnavar’, has been campaigning for Thiagarajan.In the rival camp, Vijayabaskar feels that 2021 was a missed opportunity for him and that should not happen again. But AIADMK men are apprehensive about the TVK factor. If TVK eats into the anti-DMK vote, then Vijayabaskar’s task grows tougher.
