New entrant from DMK tests Sellur Raju in Madurai West as margins shrink

Madurai: Madurai West is headed for a direct contest, with AIADMK's Sellur K Raju, a three-time MLA, facing DMK's R Balaji, 44, a first-time candidate. With minister P Moorthy overseeing election work, DMK is aiming to secure a win in the constituency after three decades.The seat, with around 2.7 lakh voters, has elected leaders including CPI's N Sankariah in 1967, M G Ramachandran in 1980, and P T R Palanivel Rajan in 1996. AIADMK has retained the seat in the last three elections, but victory margins have narrowed. Raju won by 38,700 votes in 2011, which reduced to about 9,100 votes in the previous election. Campaign approaches differ between the two sides with Raju focusing on consolidating his vote bank. However, his recent campaign remark comparing BJP leader K Annamalai with Pasumpon Muthuramalingam drew criticism from several quarters, turning into a setback.DMK has structured its campaign around local issues. Its top three poll promises for the constituency include sanitation, traffic management, and bringing school dropouts back into the education system. The constituency has both urban and peri-urban segments extending towards Paravai and Samayanallur.Balaji said, "Sellur Raju remains inaccessible to voters and has not brought projects to Madurai West even when AIADMK was in power. One common concern we hear on the outskirts is the lack of ration shops. He held the cooperation portfolio but did not add new outlets in his own constituency." Balaji said that if he is elected, he will set up WhatsApp groups for each ward and union, where residents can raise complaints directly, track their status and share suggestions on civic issues to enable a participatory model of governance.Raju has, in turn, cited lack of coordination with Madurai corporation officials in implementing projects and alleged irregularities in tax collection. He has also raised issues related to sewage infrastructure and public spaces in the past, but not much in his poll rallies.Unlike other seats, Madurai West has several resident welfare groups that have been raising civic issues. "One of our key demands is completing the flyover at Kalavasal junction. It was planned to ease traffic towards the Theni highway, but one arm remains incomplete. Even on the existing stretch, traffic planning has not reduced congestion. Another issue is incomplete sewer drains," said G Latha, a resident of Kalavasal.