As the mercury touches 34C, a customised high-tech caravan carrying TVK chief Joseph Vijay and T Nagar candidate N Anand rolls into the South Usman Road-New Boag junction. The actor, clad in a white full-sleeve shirt, rises from his seat and waves at his fans, already there, waiting along CIT 1st main road, behind a rope held by policemen. Some of them, holding party flags and wearing bandanas, toss flowers at him. Others clamber onto the walls of the Kannammapet burial ground just to catch a glimpse of ‘anna’. There are people running alongside the campaign vehicle, whistling and cheering, trying to get close to him, giving the 300-plus police personnel a rather hard time controlling the crowd. A 50-year-old homemaker from Pallavaram, K Vasanthi, waited eagerly behind barricades on North Boag Road-North Usman Road junction. She arrived at around 3pm for a roadshow scheduled for 4pm. “I was an AIADMK supporter, though my family members are DMK cadres. Now, I see some hope in Vijay,” she says.Youngsters, of course, share the enthusiasm. “I am sure he will crack down on corruption,” says a college student, M Keerthana, who trailed Vijay’s campaign vehicle. “But he should start addressing the people. That is the only drawback I see in the campaign.”Next to her is a marketing professional, N Keerthivas, who works at a nearby hospital and wants to be a part of the frenzy. “I was curious to see what the hype was about. I am not keen on politics. But election is like a festival, it’s fun to watch campaigns,” he says.A group of schoolchildren stood a few metres away. All fans of the actor, they try to climb onto the median, looking for Vijay. They are pulled down by policemen right away. “He is our hero, allow us to see him,” they beg the policemen. As Vijay’s vehicle turns into New Boag Road, Anand gets down and walks in front of the vehicle. He waves at the crowd and makes himself known before getting back on. The vehicle then returns to CIT 1st Main Road. Takes a U-turn towards the J Anbalagan flyover and zips towards North Usman Road, entering the Thousand Lights constituency where another crowd awaits.
