Tamil Nadu Assembly polls: Big names work to shed ‘outsider’ tag

The Outsider vs local debate just got shriller in the state with many candidates entering the fray in constituencies away from their places of residence.
MNM chief Kamal Haasan had to spend a good 20 minutes in his maiden campaign meeting after filing nominations justifying his decision to contest in Coimbatore south, in the wake of his opponents terming him repeatedly as an outsider.So was Kartikeya Sivasenapathy, DMK’S Thondamuthur candidate who hailed from Kangeyam in Tirupur district, seen defending himself against outsider tag. His opponent S P Velumani sarcastically remarked that he was saddened by the fact that the DMK could not find anyone to challenge him from Thondamuthur. MNM Singanallur candidate R Mahendran too couldn’t escape criticism as his vote was in Pollachi.
“I belong to all 234 constituencies,” Kamal said. “I have more friends and fans in Coimbatore south than any of the candidates here,’’ the actor added. Noting that there were attempts to brand him a representative of one section of people and that he would only contest in Mylapore, Kamal said he wanted to disprove those cynics.
Sivasenapathy too downplayed the tag, pointing his long association with Coimbatore from his college days. “People of Thondamuthur have accepted me as their own. The AIADMK has nothing to accuse me of, so they are raking up this pointless argument,’’ he said.
Down south, there are murmurs not only among AIADMK men but also among the public as the party has fielded Jothi Ramalingam from Virudhunagar district, who runs lesser known Pasumpon Desiya Kazhagam, in coveted Madurai Central constituency.
Not to mention T T V Dhinakaran who has responded to critics saying even if he was an outsider, his lieutenant Manickaraj was a native of Kovilpatti and would be accessible to the voters there. In central TN, DMK’s ally Manithaneya Makkal Katchi candidate in Manapparai segment Abdul Samad too is seen as an outsider.
While ‘outsider’ is a tag an ‘at home’ candidate may try to thrust upon a rival who isn’t from the region, it often doesn’t stick. Historically, the outsider tag has not worked against prominent candidates, be the MGR, J Jayalalithaa or M Karunanidhi, who have contested from demographically and geographically different constituencies in their career. As recently as 2019, Kanimozhi contested in Tuticorin and emerged a winner. The same may work for Stalin and EPS. Kamal, as an actor, has a popularity that transcends constituency boundaries. Even lesser known candidates’ may not be dissected for their place of belonging as surveys show a majority of voters go by the party than the candidate.
Poll pundits say it is not unusual for parties to field fresh faces in an unfamiliar constituency. “Star candidates have the advantage of popularity. Since they are familiar to the public, they can risk contesting in any constituency,’’ says A Jagannathan, a research scholar and writer. Parties also consider caste key and field candidates in a particular segment where their caste has a strong presence.