They've spoken, now it's your turn

Chennai: Politicians have had their say, now people will have their way. Tamil Nadu goes to polls on Monday in a watershed election that will decide the political future of several leaders including chief minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.
The most distinctive aspect of this election has been the emergence of the third front comprising DMDK, MDMK, VCK, TMC and the Left which has been able to arrive at a seat-sharing deal and a common programme; the presence of Anbumani Ramadoss's PMK and the BJP which put up a spirited fight has made the contest more unpredictable.Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visits have raised his party's morale and hopes of winning at least a couple of seats.
AIADMK's campaign has mostly been on promises and delivery of freebies and welfare; the party supremo has also sought to remind voters about the shadow of corruption and financial scandals that hang over the DMK and its president's family. Stalin, who led the charge for DMK as heir apparent, chose to keep the focus on job creation, development and Jayalalithaa's image as a reclusive CM.
Both sides having embraced prohibition as a plank, and in the absence of big issues to sway voters, observers say the manifestos of the two parties promising a range of freebies may help decide the outcome.
The stakes are high for Jayalalithaa whose tenure was interrupted by her conviction in the assets case in 2014. It was the same as in 2001-02 when she had to step down following conviction in the Tansi land scam. Both times she bounced back after an acquittal. A win at this point would come as a ringing endorsement of her ability to continue providing governance high on welfare and law and order in the face of allegations about rampant corruption.
For Karunanidhi, a sixth term as CM in the winter of his career would empower him to seal the succession issue for son Stalin and ensure a more stable reorganization for the party. The campaign has been hard fought and murky. Cash distribution to induce voters has sent the Election Commission into an overdrive. It has seized more than Rs 100 crore of unaccounted cash in TN alone; that's three times more than the last time.
In terms of themes, after the initial anger against the ruling party following its handling of the December floods, there appeared to be a swing in its favour for its speedy disbursal of relief. But over the last month, DMK has gained an edge through a sustained campaign by Stalin and Karunanidhi. Giving ammo to the father-son duo was the chief minister's image as a distant and au tocratic leader.
Notwithstanding his advancing years, the wheelchair-bound Karunanidhi proved a point by venturing into flood-hit areas in Chennai with a retinue of assistants. Jayalalithaa later visited flood-ravaged areas in her RK Nagar. But her aerial survey during the disaster prompted a DMK campaign that she preferred to “look down on the people” rather than “be with them”.
Jayalalithaa crisscrossed the state during the 2011assembly election by road; this time she helihopped to 14 major centres and chose road shows for short rides. This put the burden of campaigning in several areas on individual candidates of the AIADMK. DMK is seen to have been more aggressive in its campaign. Stalin's Namakku Naame mass tour from September 21 to November 8, 2015, gave him an early lead in the campaign much before the elections were notified.
Among other players, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss was another early bird. But he may not pose a big challenge to the Dravidian outfits, except in pockets. Same goes for Vijayakant ­he lost momentum after the initial promise, with both his manifesto and speeches unable to make a popular connect outside a loyal but small base. The TN contest clearly appears close enough for political pundits to hedge their bets and pre-poll surveys to throw up conflicting results.