The Hindu : Candidates, more than parties, count in Pondy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2004

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Other States - Pondicherry

Candidates, more than parties, count in Pondy

By S. Nadarajan

PONDICHERRY, MARCH 15. Pondicherry has a lone Lok Sabha constituency and all the four regions in the Union Territory — Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam — having 30 Assembly constituencies are in different States.

Mahe and Yanam are in the Kerala and Andhra Pradesh limits, while Pondicherry and Karaikal are Tamil-speaking regions.

The Union Territory has 6,36,287 voters. Of them, women are 3,25,861. Normally candidates will count more than the parties sponsoring them in the reckoning of voters. But by and large the Lok Sabha elections were so far in favour of the Congress, ruling Congress functionaries contend.

This time, however, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a constituent of the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA), has been given the seat, amidst controversy, by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

The polling percentage has been higher in rural areas. By noon, it will cross the 60-per cent mark in most of the rural constituencies, while polling is slow in urban areas even around 2 p.m.

Since the time available for campaigning is now long, more than ever before, it would enable the parties to work out their strategy. However, candidates have to go to Mahe and Yanam for wooing voters and this would mean covering 600-700 km for each of the two regions. Language is another factor the candidates will have to contend with while canvassing in these outlying regions. Normally, interpreters would accompany the contestants, as speaking in English or in non-vernacular languages will not be of help to the contestants.

The Pondicherry region, with 21 Assembly constituencies, has 4,88,832 voters with women outnumbering men. Karaikal with six Assembly segments has 1,02,832 voters. Mahe, having two Assembly constituencies, has 25,895 voters, and Yanam with only one Assembly constituency has 18,728 voters. As per the alliance finalised in Tamil Nadu, to cover Pondicherry also, the DPA has awarded the seat to the PMK. It has fielded a senior professor of the Department of Economics, M. Ramadoss.

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