Not-so-simple sibling rivalry

Chennai: As dusk settles over Okkarapatti village in Andipatti constituency of Theni district, Ramayee, 60, hurries behind her six goats toward her home; V Palanichamy, 59, a vegetable vendor, weighs out the last of his onions from his three-wheeler cart. They are eager to wrap up their day's work and catch the political campaigners making their rounds."We will vote for AIADMK this time," says Palanichamy, adjusting the party's red-white-black shawl around his neck. The village square is festooned with flowers and AIADMK flags. As darkness falls, the iconic MGR song "Vettriyai Naalai Sarithiram Sollum..." blares through loudspeakers, signalling the arrival of AIADMK candidate A Logirajan and his convoy.Nestled against the Western Ghats and shaped by an agrarian economy, with a sizeable community of weavers, the constituency, established in 1962, was an AIADMK bastion. Both M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa won in 1984 and 2002 and 2006. Ramalingapuram village in the constituency has an interesting caste demography. In a constituency dominated by thevars, a sizeable population of gounders, loyal to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, live here besides in Pitchampatti and Kanniappapillaipatti hamlets. R Vijayaraj, 45, a farmer-gounder, keenly watches Logirajan's campaign. "At least 1,000 gounder families live in the three villages. Their support is definitely for AIADMK," says Vijayaraj. Several issues plague the constituency, including lack of good roads and drinking water. School buses refuse to pick up children from these hamlets, says M Mallamma, 70, watching Logirajan campaign for votes as MGR film songs blare. DMK, DMDK and MDMK cadres gather near a shrine in S Ranganathapuram village. DMK candidate A Maharajan arrives near the temple, prays to the deity and gets into his campaign vehicle. Supporters greet the candidate by setting off a long string of fireworks. They place headgear made of jasmine and rose on Maharajan's head, a symbolic gesture in anticipation of the candidate's victory. He lists all the welfare schemes rolled out by M K Stalin govt and urges villagers to applaud. For decades since 1977, barring 1989 and 1996 assembly elections, Andipatti remained firmly in AIADMK's grip, until the 2019 by-election and 2021 poll, when Maharajan defeated his brother A Logirajan, who is with AIADMK. This election too is a contest between the brothers. They avoid direct confrontation, letting their campaigns, party machinery and grassroots mobilisation speak for them.
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