Oppn rakes up ED charges, but Nehru confident of hat-trick win

Trichy: K N Nehru, DMK's in-charge for 41 assembly constituencies in central Tamil Nadu and one of the party's top leaders, is hoping for a hat-trick in Trichy West this time. While the municipal administration minister claims he sees no threats from rivals, his opponents have raked up the corruption charges filed by Enforcement Directorate alleging a cash-for-jobs scam in his department.Comprising 22 wards of Trichy corporation, Trichy West has a mix of voters of diverse communities and minorities. It was in 2006 that Nehru shifted his base from his native Lalgudi to Trichy West, formerly Trichy II. Since then, he has won three elections and lost two. His unsuccessful opponents moved out their bases owing to the minister's increasing influence amid the election losses. For Nehru, there has been no steady local rival within or outside the party. With multi-pronged grassroots approaches, he enjoys a monopoly in the region, not allowing any threats to disturb his hold. In DMK, Nehru was the only applicant to have filed nomination for contesting in Trichy West. On its part, AIADMK could not find a worthy opponent against the minister and hence allocated the seat to AMMK, which picked former MLA M Rajasekaran, a native of Srirangam, for the contest. TVK has fielded one G Ramamoorthy from Ariyalur while NTK has chosen K Bhuvaneswari from Thottiyam in Musiri constituency. Beyond DMK, Nehru's influence extends to alliance parties too. DMK has termed ED's charges as a ploy to weaken Nehru and DMK in central Tamil Nadu, a region that bagged 37 out of 41 seats for the alliance in the 2021 election. In the last five years, the constituency has received an air-conditioned integrated bus terminus in Panjapur, a three-decade demand. Basic amenities improved, yet traffic congestion worsened. No new flyover was built in the last 15 years. Frequent damage to roads for repair work is a concern too.Opposition has taken up ED's charges against Nehru as a poll plank. TVK leader Joseph Vijay had raked up the issue in his campaign. "ED has found out his (Nehru's) involvement in the scam. Soon he will be booked," AMMK's Rajasekaran said. However, the apolitical public also don't seem to be discussing the allegations as well. In his campaigns, Nehru has been bringing up his special projects and ward-level initiatives completed and being implemented. They include the new STP, truck terminal and Tidel Park. "KMUT scheme is a hit among women, we are witnessing unprecedented support from the public. ED's allegations have no impact. I cannot respond to opposition's allegations since the issue is sub judice," Nehru told TOI.