Lok Sabha elections 2024: ‘There may be first-time voters I might have helped birth’

Tamilisai Soundararajan vs Thamizhachi Thangapandian

The Raj Bhavan is usually seen as a great retirement destination after the hardscrabble of electoral politics, or a decent pasture for anyone to be rewarded by a ruling dispensation. But not for former Tamil Nadu BJP President Tamilisai Soundararajan, who was asked by the party to take on Dravidian heavyweights in South Chennai.

I was so happy at the Raj Niwas…" Tamilisai, who recently resigned as governor of Telangana, and lieutenant governor of Pondicherry, admitted to mid-day. "…doing so much people-centric work. But when the party calls, you turn up. I have had a deep desire to be a people's representative. And I hope to achieve my dream this time."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets supporters during a roadshow in support of the BJP's candidate from South Chennai constituency, Tamilisai Soundararajan (left), in Chennai, Tuesday, April 9. Pic/PTI

The 62-year-old gynaecologist has never won an election before, in two assembly polls, and one Lok Sabha election, in 2019, against DMK's Kanimozhi in Tuticorin. This makes her, at best, the third contender behind the two Dravidian heavyweights, who have won here once each, in 2014 and 2019. But Tamilisai does not consider herself a gatecrasher.

Pioneering gynaec

"Oh, I have lived here for 40 years," she casually mentions, alluding to her posh Saligram home. "In fact, I started my practice in this constituency. I had three gynaec clinics here. There might even be some first-time voters whom I might have helped bring into the world. I ran my clinics here-free for the poor. I was a pioneer in ultrasound and this area might well be one of the first places to get ultrasound facilities in TN. I know every nook and corner of this constituency. In fact, I wanted to contest here last time, but I stood aside out of respect for [current ADMK candidate] Jayavardhan's father because we were allies then." Besides the grassroots goodwill, Tamilisai hopes she has another trump card-PM Narendra Modi. He has already done a roadshow, campaigning for her this week.

While her opponent, DMK's incumbent Thamizhachi Thangapandian, 61, has the luxury of inviting one celeb campaigner for each day of the week - superstar Kamal Haasan one day, star leader Kanimozhi the next day, ally Thol Thirumavalavan on another, and assorted state leaders to fill in the gaps. Tamilisai thinks Modi trumps all.

Personal charm

When the PM himself is not campaigning for her, Tamilisai is most at ease, pumping hands and hugging her voters in one-on-one interaction as she does her own roadshow. Why did you give up the governor post to come and campaign in this heat, one woman voter asks her. "How else would I have got the opportunity to meet you all?" she replies, bringing a beaming smile to the woman's face.

Dr Thamizhachi Thangapandian enjoys a dig made against her rivals by a warm-up speaker at a rally at Virugambakkam in her South Chennai constituency on April 11. Pic/Krishnakumar Padmanabhan

"I like the personal interactions," she says when asked about the contrast with DMK's massive rallies. "I like meeting people. Also, you have to remember that the DMK's massive meetings are due to misuse of their muscle and money power. The crowds aren't organic. They are all bussed in by musclemen."

Banger after banger

Thangapandian's campaign, on the other hand, is like an all-time greatest-hits collection of election campaigning. The DMK's strong alliance for this election means she has Kamal Haasan on speed dial. Fellow woman star campaigner Kanimozhi drops in to rally the female voters in the constituency. As though that is not enough, Thirumavalavan turns up, with his lucid speeches painting the BJP as the all-pervading evil that plagues India and how the DMK-led (in TN) INDIA alliance is the last hope for social justice. This last bit, especially, goes down well with the assembled economically weaker voters.

"This is not a normal election," thunders Thiruma at a meeting. "This is a righteous war for India's future. It is a battle between the mob and the people, where we are merely standing by the people, and the people shall win. This is not between Thamizhachi versus Tamilisai. This is about the RSS vs the People of India, and we strongly stand by the people."

The problem for DMK

South Chennai has various middle-class and underprivileged pockets. But it also houses posh neighbourhoods. It has the IT corridor, with over 6,000 infotech companies of various sizes. And, to the BJP's eternal hope, three segments that have a lot of Brahmin voters.

Communists, Liberation Panthers and Congressmen put on a united show for Thangapandian at Virugambakkam on April 11

This election, the DMK's biggest problem is none of the above sections likes to be left fending for itself, wading through floodwaters, and living for days without electricity. Which is what happened during last year's torrential rains. "It was a mess. So-called VIP constituency, but no basic amenities," scoffs Tamilisai. "Structurally, the stormwater drains did not work. There are some 25 water bodies and a lot of canals, but none of it was desilted properly. People suffered."

The invisible man

If you saw only the Tamil Nadu media for the last few days, you could be mistaken for thinking this is a battle of two women. But, the third candidate, or should we say frontrunner, was the first to begin campaigning and has been silently hitting the streets for more than 45 days outside the media glare. Dr J Jayavardhan, 36, the 2014 winner, is dismissive of the BJP, and senses a lot of anger against the DMK.

"This is not a three-way battle. It's just between the good forces of the ADMK and the bad forces of the DMK. I have 63 people working at the booth level in this constituency. The BJP has none. They don't have a grassroots cadre. All the buzz around the BJP is a bubble created by [party president] K Annamalai. And just like the markets, there will be a crash and the people will realise the truth about the BJP on counting day."

Tradition x modern

Jayavardhan's campaign is a mix of the traditional and the modern. Like Thamizhachi, he starts early in the morning and visits earmarked areas, canvassing for votes. He takes a break for lunch, and resumes, ending at 10. And like the BJP, he seems to have mastered social media, doing a series of 13 videos on the DMK's "mismanagement" during the last five years, including hikes in prices of milk, water and other essentials. He, too, harks on the poor flood relief work.

Dr J Jayavardhan, ADMK candidate, South Chennai

"She doesn't understand nature," he says, about his arch-rival. "Water from the north, west and south of the city drains into our constituency. And there was a badly executed Rs 1,200 crore project to remove an existing dumpyard right where the water should naturally drain, in the Pallikaranai marshlands. She has not done anything about this incomplete project, just like she has failed in executing other projects in the constituency." Despite mid-day's attempts over two days, Thamizhachi could not take time off from her campaign schedule to answer opponents' criticism of the poor handling of floods by her and the ruling DMK.

‘I bring hospitals'

On BJP's Tamilisai pitting herself as someone who has practised medicine in the area, Jayavardhan, himself an MD in medicine, said he was given an opportunity to contest in 2014, immediately after his course, and he embraced it with both hands. "See, a practising doctor treats 30-40 people a day," he said. "I, as a policymaker, have got the central-funded National Institute of Ageing. I have brought a Rs 40-crore hospital in Saidapet, a Rs 250-crore ESI hospital, and a R28-crore hospital in Perungudi." Which all sounds like a lot of work, indeed. So, why does he reckon he lost the 2019 election to the DMK despite all these projects? "Simple. We allied with the BJP, which was our biggest mistake."

Story of the seat

Prominent past winners:
>> T R Baalu, prominent DMK central minister, 1996-2004
>> Vyjayanthimala Bali, INC, Bollywood star and last Brahmin winner here, 1984-1991
>> R Venkataraman, INC, who will go on to become India's President. 1977-1984
>> Murasoli Maran, DMK ideologue and financial brain, 1967-1977
>> C N Annadurai, TN's first Dravidian CM, 1967

Nepotism rules
>> DMK's Thamizhachi Thangapandian is the daughter of former DMK MLA V Thangapandian and sister of current DMK minister Thangam Thennarasu
>> ADMK's J Jayavardhan is the son of former ADMK finance minister D Jayakumar
>> BJP's Tamilisai Soundararajan is the daughter of senior Congress leader Kumari Ananthan

6,000
No of infotech companies in South Chennai seat