Chennai: “Our candidate did not seek votes in ‘Sarkar’ (movie) … He is coming in person to meet people,” blares a speaker as DMK nominee Karthik Mohan goes door-to-door in SIDCO Nagar, Villivakkam. A few kilometres away in Thirunagar Park, AIADMK candidate and former MP S R Vijayakumar tells a youth gathering not to “fall for cinema stars” but to trust experienced candidates who can fix civic issues.What was once a direct battle between Dravidian majors in Villivakkam, long a DMK bastion with eight wins in 11 elections, is seeing a sharper, three-cornered fight this time. Both DMK and AIADMK have targeted actor Vijay and his TVK. NTK has fielded S Roshni, a transgender.The DMK is not resting on its laurels. It has fielded third-generation politician Karthik Mohan to take on TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna, a vocal critic of the DMK’s first family. Karthik enjoys some recall in Anna Nagar-bordering pockets of Villivakkam such as Thirumangalam, Anna Nagar West Extension and Anna Nagar East, as his “Anna Nagar Premier League” cricket tournament drew youth from Villivakkam as well. But on the ground, he leans heavily on the party machinery. Chief minister M K Stalin’s son-in-law Sabarisan accompanied him to file nomination papers, and DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakanth campaigned for him.Aadhav, who picked Villivakkam as it had the second-highest TVK membership enrolment after Perambur, has little recall among locals. Voters referred to TVK simply as “Vijay’s party”. “We are distributing whistles door-to-door. There is curiosity and acceptance, but converting that into votes is key. Vijay’s curtailed campaign on MTH Road did affect cadre morale,” said D Prasanna, TVK ward 98 secretary.In a setback for AIADMK, two key local leaders — two-time MLA J C D Prabhakar and district secretary V S Babu — have defected to TVK. The new district secretary, Mohan, is only three months into the role, and several area-level posts remain unfilled, denting cadre morale. The party has turned to former MP S R Vijayakumar — who defeated Dayanidhi Maran in 2014 — to steady the campaign.Former AIADMK students’ wing member M Vinoth Kumar said vacancies in the students’, youth and women’s wings have led to lower-level defections. “But the candidate is known, and allies are stepping in,” he said. “ICF railway colonies and Ayanavaram have a sizeable middle-class and Hindi-speaking population. The NDA will get votes from these pockets,” he added.Villivakkam has 1.59 lakh voters post-SIR, including nearly 40,000 working-class residents in resettlement colonies and slums across SIDCO Nagar, Bharathi Nagar, Periyar Nagar, Rajamangalam and Lakshmipuram. Once shaped by labour politics — CPM won here twice — the constituency’s issues have changed to housing, civic needs and livelihoods. But the 40,000 voters are crucial, said R Murugan, an AITUC member in SIDCO Nagar.When Aadhav visited Mettu Street, a slum with around 5,000 people, he was confronted with petitions on inadequate transformer capacity, sewage mixing with drinking water and lack of pattas. “Many came before you, heard our issues and left. How do we know you will act,” residents asked.DMK leaders insist their grassroots network gives them an edge. “We respond quickly to local issues and have stood by people during floods and crises. Karthik also fluidly interacts with RWAs, lower-income groups, women and youngsters,” said B Lokesh, DMK youth wing coordinator for ward 94.The constituency also has around 25,000 minority religion voters. Aadhav has visited churches, while AIADMK has circulated pamphlets highlighting its contributions to Muslim welfare. AIADMK district minority wing secretary A Abbas said that of the 25,000 minority voters, about 15,000 voted in 2021, with most backing DMK. “This time, margins will narrow,” he said.
