Choice of political candidates, over the last three decades, by the electorate has thrown up surprises in the Kangayam Assembly segment of Tiruppur district that has been witnessing rapid economic strides owing to diverse industrial activities in the main town, as also agriculture in the hinterland.
Candidates of the principal Dravidian parties, DMK and AIADMK, locked horns after a gap of 20 years in the Kangayam General Assembly constituency in the 2021 elections, in which M.P. Saminathan, Minister for Information and Publicity, won by a margin of 7,331 votes over his nearest rival A.S. Ramalingam of AIADMK.
His victory accounted for a margin of 7.78 percentage points.
In the previous two elections in 2016 and 2011, AIADMK candidates had emerged victorious over those of Indian National Congress by comfortable margins.
And, in the 2006 election, the Congress party candidate had an easy sail past the AIADMK candidate.
In the 2001 election, the face-off between the DMK and AIADMK candidates resulted in the victory of the latter.
The DMK, in effect, could represent the constituency after a gap of 25 years; it was in 1996 election that the DMK candidate N.S. Rajkumar Manraadiar won with a thumping vote share of 56.67% compared to 33.57% polled by N. Ramasamy of AIADMK.
In the 1991 election, the constituency was represented by late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the 1991 election, after securing an overwhelming 63.44 % vote share, compared to 32.85% by Mr. Rajkumar Manraadiar.
The DMK is apparently looking forward to retaining the seat for the second consecutive term, banking on what it believes to be the goodwill generated by the Minister by bringing in key developmental projects.
The upgrade of Kangayam taluk hospital into Government Headquarters Hospital, implementation of combined drinking water projects in over 20 village panchayats in Vellakovil and Kangayam blocks, securing funds for further infrastructural developments to the Government Arts and Science College, and strengthening road infrastructure in Erode, Dharapuram and Tiruppur rank among the main projects that were accorded a thrust by Mr. Saminathan.
Known widely for its rice mills and coconut oil units, the constituency that also accounts for a substantial extent of powerloom units has quite a few unresolved issues, according to sections of the electorate.
There are concerns that issues such as pollution in the Noyyal river that passes through the constituency for a lengthy stretch and persisting grievance of the rice mills over levy of GST have not been accorded the requisite attention, points out Selvaraj, Kangayam taluk secretary of CPI (M). The coconut oil industry has a grouse that the DMK government has not fulfilled its promise to supply coconut oil under public distribution system.
The State government has not measured up to neighbouring Kerala for giving a fillip to the coconut industry, N.S.N. Dhanapal, president of Kangayam Coconut Oil Manufacturers’ Association.
Residents in and around Kangayam town are also looking for a lasting solution to contain the pollution caused by the coconut shell charcoal units. Repeated representations have not yielded results, says a functionary of a residents’ welfare association in Kadaiyur.
On their part, farmers’ lament that their grievances have been given short shrift.
The pressing problems for farmers constitute the perceived shortcomings in the water supplied through the Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) main canal, and the economic setback caused to the farmers due to the frequent loss of livestock due to attacks by wandering dogs.
The farmers’ unhappiness over the Water Resources Department’s “inaction” over water shortages in the Kangayam-Vellakovil belt that constitute tail-end of PAP Main Canal, due to water theft in its upstream, has been ignored, P. Velusamy, president of PAP Vellakovil Branch Canal (Kangayam-Vellakovil) Branch Canal, pointed out, adding that farmers are also a disappointed lot as their demand for payment of compensation to their lost livestock based on market rates has not been accepted.
Hence, gauging the tilt of electorate, as such, in favour of any particular party seems a tough proposition.
