CHENNAI/TRICHY: Facing the elections for the first time, several TVK candidates are struggling to match the vigourous campaigns of DMK and AIADMK.In Coimbatore’s Thondamuthur constituency, where AIADMK’s S P Velumani is conducting extensive campaigns, outreach, TVK candidate K P R Sathish barely manages to assemble 10 people to campaign for him. For a party that draws huge crowd whenever their leader Vijay campaigns, mobilising cadres for poll campaign has turned out to be a challenge here.Not just the absence of a robust grassroots network, but lack of political and electoral experience has also placed TVK candidates in a disadvantageous position in many places. In Sulur segment in Coimbatore, the TVK candidate struggled to respond to the questions of a vegetable vendor. Video of the incident went viral on social media. At Egmore constituency in Chennai, cadres campaigning for candidate Rajmohan distributed pamphlets along Ananthakrishnan Street in Choolai to guest workers who don’t have a vote in Tamil Nadu.Unlike, other parties, which have elaborate localised campaign schedules, TVK candidates are following schedules designed by strategists based in Chennai. These campaigns comprise two legs — a door to door canvassing and pamphlet distribution in residential clusters in morning and street corner meetings in the evening. With lack of effective speakers, TVK functionaries are facing a challenge in ensuring an effective street corner meeting.
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In rural areas, TVK candidates are more limited. Since houses are spread out in villages, TVK men say they bring together voters from three to four panchayats at a common location and conduct meetings in the presence of candidates. Paralelly, party workers are visiting villages in small groups carrying images of Vijay and the party’s whistle symbol. Fund constraints have emerged in parts of northern Tamil Nadu. In Perambur, where Vijay is contesting, cadres reported a shortage of funds for daily expenses. A party worker in Vyasarpadi said, “Cadres were initially provided between 500 and 1,000/day for food and travel, but payments were not made for the past week.” Analysts said the party, formed three years ago, requires time to develop booth agents comparable to Dravidian parties. “So, candidates are focusing more on social media outreach, including videos and posters,” said political analyst R Deepak, adding that mobile phone usage has enabled such campaigns to reach parts of rural Tamil Nadu while organisational structures are still evolving.
