AIADMK may steal a march on Cong in young seat of Ambattur

As one heads towards Wavin Junction on Ambattur Estate Road, a signboard spanning the road reads, `Welcome to Ambattur Industrial Estate'. Located in northern Chennai, Ambattur is more than just a proverbial manufacturing hub.There are car and premium bike showrooms along the Estate Road, IT parks and corporate offices on 2nd Main Road, and in the numerous lanes are stuffed small tin-roofed manufacturing units. It is here that the story of Ambattur begins.

For more than 40 years, C Loganathan has been living in Padi. He describes the Ambattur of his childhood as a taluk with paddy fields and lakes. Over the years the green was covered by concrete and warehouses filled up the lake beds. In Padi, the smell of grease is predominant in the air as is the hum and whir of machines. Heavy vehicles kick up dust and hold up traffic. Drains are open and water in the houses brackish. Loganathan says the sitting AIADMK MLA S Vedachalam last came to the locality before the 2011 election.

“After that he vanished.The drains were constructed during the last few months of the previous DMK govern ment, nothing happened after that,“ he says. A photographer, Loganathan says the DMK has a good support base in Ambattur and could have been a tough match for the AIADMK. “But Jayalalithaa's party may win because the Congress does not have that appeal.“

Congress can didate Hasan Maulana comes from a rich t family and does not have grassroots connect, he says.

The DMDK candidate, Ravin. dran Constandine, though a learned man, is not very well known, he says. Loganathan's neighbour, a shopkeeper, shies away from talking to the media. He points at a leaking water pipeline and says whoever wins should ensure piped water supply to their homes. In 2011, Ambattur was included in the Chennai Corporation. With that the taxes went up, but several residents are yet to get the civic amenities promised.

Away from the dusty lanes of Padi, is a more gentrified Ambattur. Smooth roads, walled houses, and a community park characterize Thiruvengadam Nagar. A resident here refuses to comment on the performance of Vedachalam. “I am retired and don't vote,“ he says. But A Rajkumar, a businessman living here for 20 years, is among those happy with the councillor and AIADMK candidate, V Alexander. “Alexander is a local man.He was working right on the roads during the floods,“ Rajkumar says, sitting in a park where many have come for an evening stroll. But still, a DMK candidate would have given Alexander a run for his money , he says.

A long-time DMK supporter in Ambattur says though the party workers can be seen toiling, a Congress candidate may not enthuse traditional supporters. “ A non-DMK candidate does not inspire confidence among us,“ he says.