CHENNAI: March 10, 2002: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi undertakes a sudden fast, at his newly inaugurated MLA office in his constituency, Chepauk, demanding the arrest of ``AIADMK men'' responsible for vandalising the office.

Mr. Karunanidhi inaugurated the MLA office on March 7, 2002.

Some miscreants damaged the windowpanes the same night and also chipped away at the walls.

He gives up the fast after two hours following an assurance from the then Police Commissioner, K. Vijaykumar, over phone.

Local DMK councillor A.K. Jagadeesan and DMK Chepauk secretary S. Suresh Kumar point to this incident and say that at the smallest of issues in the constituency, Mr. Karunanidhi had rushed and taken charge.

In the normal course, Mr. Suresh Kumar and Mr. Karunanidhi's son, M.K. Tamilarasu handled voter and resident complaints.

"How many MLAs have managed to spend their MLA Constituency Development Fund in such a manner so as to address all the immediate issues facing the constituency?" asks Mr. Suresh Kumar.

"There are very few and Thalaivar has done all that the constituency wants," he adds. Mr. Karunanidhi had aided in construction of cement concrete roads; marriage halls and community centres at a cost of Rs.4.5 crore over the past four-and-a-half years.

Accessibility

Dawood Miakhan, AIADMK-supported independent candidate and grandson of Quaid-e-Milleth, says he would work for the constituency and attend the Assembly.

He said during the campaign that he would be available for people whenever they needed him.

The main Opposition plank is accessibility and that the candidate would attend the Assembly, if elected. (Mr. Karunanidhi did not attend).

Mr. Suresh Kumar counters: "How many times did Chief Minister Jayalalithaa go to her constituency? Is it not a fact that others were receiving petitions and attending to issues there. It's the same here. You cannot expect a leader to concentrate only on one constituency. I have been receiving petitions and I have also ensured that everyone who wrote petitions got replies," he said.

Besides, five of the eight councillors representing Chepauk area in the Chennai Corporation belong to the DMK.

Mr. Jagadeesan stresses the fact that none could continue as councillor if the leadership was unhappy with his/her fieldwork.

"We have been attending to even the smallest of issues, such as delay in arrival of water tankers."

"Join the wave"

Mr. Karunanidhi has spoken of local and State issues and urged people to join the wave across the State that wanted a change.

He said it was the DMK that had set up Women Self-Help Groups and assured people that these would not be disbanded if the party came back to power.

There are a total of 20 candidates in the fray but that does not mean even a semblance of a contest.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam are among the parties that have put up candidates.

Chepauk constituency was created in 1977. It witnessed straight fights between the DMK and the AIADMK for the first three elections (1977, 1980 and 1984).

The DMK's A. Rahmankhan won each time with huge margins.

On the next four occasions (1989, 1991, 1996 and 2001) the fight was between the DMK and the Congress.

The DMK won the seat except once, 1991. That year, the DMK's general secretary K. Anbazhagan was defeated by Zeenath Sheriffudin.

In 1996, Mr.Karunanidhi garnered two-thirds of the total votes polled to win the seat for the first time.

In 2001, he managed a slender lead of 4834 votes over his nearest rival, R. Damodaran of the Congress.

The DMK functionaries and cadres working in the constituency want to ensure an emphatic victory for their leader and he also obliged them by spending quite a few days campaigning in the area.

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