The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Gummidipoondi ready for bypolls'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 30, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Gummidipoondi ready for bypolls'

K.T. Sangameswaran

EXPLOITING SPACE: Even a demolished building on a national highway comes in handy to send out a message to voters in the Gummidipoondi Assembly constituency. — Photo:S. R. Raghunathan

GUMMIDIPOONDI: With the stage set for electioneering in the Gummidipoondi Assembly constituency, where by-election is scheduled for May 14, wall space appears to be a rare commodity in this predominantly rural segment. The main candidates also seem to appreciate the dearth of this "vital requirement" in any election. So much so that "mutual co-existence" of the election symbol seems to have come to stay.

Local residents say that the election campaign was yet to pick up. Perhaps the first meeting of party workers as a prelude to electioneering was by the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) on Thursday, addressed by its general secretary, Vaiko, to motivate the cadres.

Elections or no elections, the Jawaharlal Nehru Salai (Inner Ring Road), on the city's outskirts, leading to the National Highway (NH)-5 is being repaired and the median is getting a fresh coat of paint as several VVIPs are likely to use the thoroughfare to reach the constituency.

Though the constituency begins near Puduvoyal, off Karanodai, there are no signs of an election as there are only vacant lands on either side of the National Highway leading to Kolkata. However, indications of a coming election are available as one reaches the busy Kavarapettai bazaar on a dusty road where a few posters and election symbols greet visitors. Inside Gummidipoondi town, the available walls of houses have been painted with the names of candidates and their election symbols. This being a rural area, whatever little space is available, is put to the best possible use. Even the small mud walls of houses or those of toilets by the side of the road bear a message for the electorate.

In Gummidipoondi town, by the side of a petrol retail outlet, an unused fuel tank lying amid bushes, has been painted afresh and used to convey an election symbol. Atop another building, the symbols of both the All India Anna Dravida Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have been drawn side by side.

"Campaigning is expected to begin only in the next few days. It is only then that more posters and graffiti are expected," points out a local working in a public call booth in Gummidipoondi town. There are nearly eight marriage halls in Gummidipoondi and they have been booked in advance, says P.R. Ezhilarasan, an MDMK worker.

Sixteen candidates, including P. Venkatachalapathy of the DMK and K.S. Vijayakumar of the AIADMK, are in the fray. The byelection has been necessitated due to the death of K. Sudharsanam of the AIADMK.

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