The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Candidates call on mentors

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 06, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Others

Candidates call on mentors

R.K. Radhakrishnan

They are also meeting leaders of alliance parties and drawing up strategies Supporters of the BJP in the district are very realistic about their chances.

KATPADI: Candidates of major political parties across the State are calling on their mentors, aged well-wishers and important persons before commencing their campaign later this month.

With more than a month for polling, the candidates say they are also meeting leaders of alliance parties and also drawing up strategies to be adopted for electioneering.

"I have just begun meeting important people in my constituency," said Tiruvannamalai DMK candidate and former minister, K. Pitchandi on Tuesday. "I have been talking to party workers so that we cover all areas a couple of times. We also have to make plans for the visit of our leader."

Supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the district are very realistic about their chances. "We are fighting to make our presence felt here. We may not win but we are going ahead with our campaign with all our might," said V. Karunakaran, town general secretary.

He and his supporters were painting a few public walls over the past few weeks. Then, at an all-party meeting called by the District Election Officer (Collector), they were advised to erase all the wall paintings. "We found a few walls with great difficulty. Then the Collector wanted us to remove the paintings," he said. "And we did."

Elsewhere, at Katpadi in Vellore district, the deputy leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Durai Murugan, snatched a day from party work in Chennai to meet the cadres and his mentors.

His first stop on Tuesday morning was the residence of Subbarayan, a local Pattali Makkal Katchi leader, at Kaniyambadi, 15 km from Vellore. After an exchange of shawls, Mr. Durai Murugan invited Mr. Subbarayan to join him. A few minutes walk from there led them to `Bharati Vilas' on Bajana Koil Street, the residence of veteran Congress leader and former MLA Kesavan.

"Gandhiji had stayed in this house," informed Mr. Durai Murgan as he draped a shawl on Mr. Kesavan whose father, the late V.T. Kannappa Mudaliar, was a freedom fighter and among those jailed in Alipore.

The meeting lasted a few minutes. After seeking his support, Mr. Durai Murugan got into his vehicle to get to his next stop, a few streets away, at Chinnappar Nilayam.

Again, after draping a shawl on educationist Varadarajan, Mr. Durai Murugan said he was among the people who helped him in his early education.

The exchange of greetings lasted a few minutes with everyone in the house assuring the DMK leader of their support."I recommended this siddha hospital to [former Speaker] Kalimuthu," said Mr. Durai Murugan, pointing to Kuppusamy Siddha Hospital on the Vellore-Chittor Road.

Among those who greeted him at the hospital were Mohan and Chokkalingam, who look after the hospital.

"Mohan was my PT master," said Mr. Durai Murugan. "Did he do well?," this correspondent asked Mr. Mohan. He smiled away the question.

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