CHENNAI: After heli-hopping across districts and intermittently hitting the road to kick up some dust in the hinterlands of Tamil Nadu for more than a month, AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa’s poll wagon decided to storm the streets of Chennai on Wednesday afternoon.
The Wednesday outing is significant on at least two counts: In Jayalalithaa’s campaign schedule, Wednesday was marked a rest day, but she decided to slog it out despite the mercury hovering around 36 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. It would also be the day when the chief minister would be addressing 42 wayside meetings— probably the largest number of such meetings she has done in a day.
For those who want to be there – and those who want to avoid the accompanying traffic snarls – here is the schedule, starting 3pm: RK Salai, Natesan Salai, Ice House police station, Triplicane High Road, Anna Statue on Mount Road, Wells Garden Street, EVK Sampath Salai, Choolai post office, Choolai High Road, Wall Tax Road junction, Moolakothalam Junction, Basin Bridge, Sathyamoorthy Nagar, MKB Nagar, Ambedkar College Road, Strahans Road, Otteri bridge, Konnur Main Road, Ayanavaram bus terminus, Reddy Street Junction, Padi, Thirumangalam, CMBT, Vinayagapuram Main Road, MMDA Colony, Anna arch, Nelson Manickam Road, Pushpa Nagar, North Usman Road, T Nagar bus stand, South Usman Road, Saidapet Panagal Maaligai, Guindy bridge, Anna statue, Kathipara, Madhya Kailash, Malar hospital, Thiru Vi Ka bridge, R K Mutt Road, East Mada Street, Luz and Alwarpet junction.
It is not unusual for political leaders to focus their energies on Chennai, especially during the last lap of the campaign, but for Jayalalithaa the outcome of the urban constituencies this time can decide between triumph and trouble.
After all, Chennai has been a DMK bastion that she breached in style in 2006, though she could not come to power that time. In 2006, the AIADMK won Royapuram, R K Nagar, Park Town, T Nagar, Triplicane, Mylapore and Saidapet in 2006. This was quite an achievement, given that even in 2001 when Jayalalithaa came to power, the AIADMK could get only three seats in the capital city (Its allies Congress and CPM won a seat each in Chennai).
In fact, even in the elections of 1977, 1980 and 1984 when MGR held on to Fort St George, the DMK has been able to retain a majority of the Chennai seats. After achieving in 2006 something even her mentor MGR could not do, Jayalalithaa bettered her tally in Chennai in 2011, winning in 12 of the 16 city constituencies.
So, does Jayalalithaa see a threat in Chennai this time? “Looks like,” says an AIADMK insider. “We started on a strong note, but as the campaign progressed, the DMK appeared to have gained some strength in urban constituencies. Amma wants to nullify that.”
With freebies and welfare not promising enough for parties to gain urban votes, leaders are expected to make a different pitch in the capital city during the grand finale of the campaign that ends on Saturday.
Not to allow Jayalalithaa to do much harm in his erstwhile citadel, DMK leader M K Stalin will return to campaign in Chennai on Friday.