PONDICHERRY: Karaikal lying at the tail end of Cauvery basin has six seats (including a reserved segment) in the Pondicherry Territorial Assembly. It was worst hit in the December 26, 2004 tsunami with a number people in coastal pockets affected by the disaster. The administrative machinery battled for months together to restore normalcy and launched relief measures in the region. The age old Arasalar bridge linking Karaikal with neighbouring district of Nagapattinam was so damaged and the government moved quickly to restore it.

Crucial corridor

Karaikal has been a political nerve centre of Pondicherry and has been a crucial corridor for the ministerial destiny.

To think of Pondicherry politics is at once to think of such leaders such as M O H Farook (now an Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia), P.Shanmugham (the present President of Pondicherry Pradesh Congress Committee) and S. Ramassamy (presently a functionary of Congress) among others.

Farook and Ramassamy are former Chief Ministers of Pondicherry in the past. Poll observers would always reckon the sway Karaikal exercises in politics of Pondicherry. The Secretary to AICC P Sudhakar Reddy had assessed the ground realities during his campaign there. He told The Hindu recently that perfection, coordination and sustained campaign by workers of all the parties of the DPA was necessary. He was however confident that a Congress led government would come into being in Pondicherry, as there was good response at all places he campaigned. The six constituencies in Karaikal are: Karaikal (north), Karaikal (south), Cottuchery, Tirunallar, Neduncadu and Neravy Grade Aldee.

Deputy Speaker A V Subramanian (Congress) holding the Karaikal (South) seat since 1991 seeks to retain it for the fourth time in succession. The PMC nominee V K Ganapathy is his immediate rival.

Former Health Minister A M H Nazeem (DMK) has been holding the Karaikal (north) seat. He faces challenge from S. Selvaganapthy (AIADMK).

Kin against each other

Neravy Grand Aldee always presents a fight between the kith and kin of a family. V M C Sivakumar (DMK) now contesting is the younger brother of the late V M C Varadapillai. Sivakumar had either defeated or was defeated by Varadapillai in the past.

Mr. Sivakumar also faced challenges from his nephews after Varadapillai passed away.

Ganapathy is contesting the present poll as rebel candidate as he could not succeed in getting the Congress ticket as the constituency itself had been reallotted to the DMK. The AIADMK has fielded V Jayabal as its nominee in Neravy. Welfare Minister M Chandirakasu (Congress) has been holding the Neduncadu (reserved) seat since 1980 except the one held in 1996 when he conceded it to the then A Marimuthu (DMK).

Mr. Chandirakasu now faces challenge for all practice purposes from Marimuthu who is contesting as rebel candidate. As far as Cottuchery is concerned the Congress nominee P R N Thirumurugan (the son of the late legislator R Nalamaharajan) is pitted against the AIADMK nominee V. Omalingam. Both are green horns in the poll battle. At Tirunallar R. Kamalakannan (Congress) is pitted against the nominee of MDMK P.R. Siva.

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