The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Parties reserve space for poll propaganda

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 16, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Parties reserve space for poll propaganda

Special Correspondent

DMK cadres are the most active in Katpadi constituency

— Photo: S. S. Kumar

CLUTTERNG THE WALL: Political parties vie with one another to reserve space for election graffiti by painting pictures of their leaders on a private wall on Vellore Road in Katpadi Assembly constituency.

VELLORE: With the Assembly general elections in Tamil Nadu less than two months away, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have started reserving space on the walls of private buildings for writing the names of candidates for the forthcoming elections by painting the pictures of their party leaders.

The most active are the DMK workers in Katpadi Assembly constituency, currently represented by the Principal Secretary of the DMK and former Minister, Durai Murugan.

This is the only constituency in Vellore district, where one gets the feel of the elections to come, as could be seen from the paintings of the pictures of the DMK supremo, M. Karunanidhi, Deputy General Secretary, M.K. Stalin and Mr. Durai Murugan.

Foregone conclusion

The presence of the pictures and names of Mr. Durai Murugan on all wall paintings in the constituency give one the impression that the nomination of Mr. Durai Murugan for Katpadi is a foregone conclusion.

The party workers engaged in the wall paintings have discreetly avoided painting the election date in places carrying the pictures of Mr. Karunanidhi and Mr. Durai Murugan. At the same time, the pictures and the names of party leaders are missing wherever the election date has been painted.

On the same space

In some places, one could see both the AIADMK and the DMK reserving space on the same wall.

On one corner of the wall, one could see the pictures of Mr.Karunanidhi, Mr.Stalin and Mr. Durai Murugan, while in another corner of the wall, the pictures of Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief, Jayalalitha and late MGR have been painted.

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