Tamil Nadu - Erode   

Congress bid to enter AIADMK fortress

Karthik Madhavan

Kangeyam Copra price, tax a major issue here Copra price, tax a major issue here

ERODE: Kangayam Assembly constituency in Erode district is considered an AIADMK bastion. In the last seven Assembly elections, in three decades, the party has sent its candidates from this constituency, except only once - in 1996 when N. S. Rajkumar Manraadiar of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) made it to the Assembly. But that was when a mammoth anti-AIADMK wave swept the State. The party supremo, J. Jayalalithaa, too contested from Kangayam in 1991 and won the seat by securing more than 70 per cent of the votes polled.

All AIADMK candidates who have won this seat have secured more than 60 per cent votes. The highest per cent an AIADMK candidate secured was in 1984 - K.C. Palanisamy got 76.14. The lowest was R.K.S. Dhandapani's - 61.04 in 1977.

This time the party has fielded N. M. S. Palanichami, a chartered accountant. He is pitted against `Vidiyal' Sekar of the Congress, a lawyer. Both the contestants belong to the majority Kongu Vellalar (Gounder) community.

In terms of issues, the price and tax on copra matter a lot here because the Kangayam town and its surrounding areas are known for oil business. The grouse of those involved in the trade is the fluctuating price of copra and the tax levied on it - 12 per cent. The demand is to make it on par with the neighbouring states - in Kerala it is only 2.5. As in most other constituencies, Kangayam too has shortage of drinking water. At present, water from River Cauvery is being supplied from Kodumudi. Pending work on the second phase of the Lower Bhavani Project canal is another issue. In Chennimalai, famous for home furnishing, weavers and workers from allied trade are looking to Government support to give a boost to the business. Until recently, weavers' cooperative societies undertook orders from exporters and supplied finished products. Now with the lull in the business, weavers here want Government facilitation for bagging more export orders.

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