Jayalalithaa’s new seat is small to manage and restore her big pride

Tamil Nadu chief minister campaigns for RK Nagar by-elections

shivani

Shivani Chaturvedi | June 22, 2015 | Chennai


#jayalaalitha   #tamil nadu   #rk nagar   #elections   #Karnataka   #conviction  

Tamil Nadu chief minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary J Jayalalithaa begins her campaign to restore her dented pride with an election meeting in Radhakrishnan Nagar assembly constituency in north Chennai on Monday. She is seeking to become legislator again after her disqualification last year.

The by-election is scheduled to be held on June 27 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of sitting MLA P Vetrivel who paved the way for his party leader to contest. After Jayalalithaa got acquitted in disproportionate wealth case by the Karnataka high court and assumed office as Tamil Nadu's chief minister for the fifth time she picked RK Nagar assembly seat to contest. As per law she has to become member of legislature within six months after becoming the chief minister.

It is the first time she is contesting from the city. A factor that may have weighed in her choice of RK Nagar constituency is that this assembly seat has remained an AIADMK stronghold since 2001 with PK Sekar Babu being elected MLA two successive terms before he crossed over to the DMK.

RK Nagar is among the smaller constituencies in Chennai with about 2.5 lakh voters and the 67-year-old leader, whose health is indifferent; need not have to travel much to campaign. She would also want to concentrate on administrative issues since she was out of power for eight months. For these reasons,  RK Nagar assembly seat becomes ideal choice.

As such her campaign for the by-election is just a formality. Tamil Nadu's political history is that only the ruling party wins the by-election. Jayalalithaa just wants to show her presence by campaigning, said a city-based commentator.

Political commentator BR Haran said, "She will certainly win RK Nagar by-poll. At the same time we cannot say that this campaign will be a curtain raiser for the 2016 assembly polls."

He did feel that there is a possibility for a mid-term poll. She may announce a few more freebies schemes and go for assembly polls. However, before that she may wait for the Karnataka government's move with regards to the disproportionate assets case. She may opt for the poll immediately after Karnataka government's filing of appeal in the case. "She will create a sort of sympathy wave again and utilise it for the mid-term poll. In all likelihood she may sweep the 2016 assembly polls again," added Haran.

Comments

 

Other News

Free food grains for 81.35 cr beneficiaries for five years

The central government will provide free food grains to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a period of five years with effect from January 1, 2024, the cabinet decided on Wednesday. Terming it as a “historic decision”, a

“I wrote ‘Survival at Stake’ to provide food for thought about solutions”

Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animals Is Key to Human Existence By Poorva Joshipura HarperCollins, 328 pages, Rs 499 With science now recognising animal consciousness, intelligence, emotion, and even morality, there must rise an awareness of

‘Bon Voyage’ through the Arctic: Exploring new horizons for India

India`s tryst with trade through the Arctic regions, including the Northern Sea Routes (NSR), has become an impact-making endeavor recently. The Arctic of yore is now a pivot – point of geopolitics, of climate change discussions, and for economic opportunities; 40% of oil and gas reserves said to be

Demystifying Contemporary Finance Theory and other lessons in investment

Investing Decoded: Simple Path To Building A Portfolio In Millions By Anirudh Rathore Penguin India, 320 pages, Rs 499

Deepfake: India to prepare four-point action plan

Deepfake has emerged as a serious threat to democracy and social institutions across the world. Propagation of deepfake content via social media platforms has aggravated this challenge. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has, from time to time, advised social media in

Mumbai traffic: Let’s use some simple math

Two level of roads not enough, BMC to have triple traffic jams through underground junctions There is no shortage of short-sighted traffic experts who believe that creating more vertical space (either above or below the level) in already overcrowded and congested cities will be cou

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter