Seeking record 12th win, Karunanidhimay have it easy on home turf

 

Tiruvarur, Apr 7 :

After completing a hat-trick of wins in the placid Chepauk constituency in Chennai city, Muthuvel Karunanidhi, the 87-year-old DMK patriarch, seeking a record sixth term as Chief Minister, has come to his home-turf to seek election to the State Assembly in the April 13State elections.

The tradition-rich constituency in the Cauvery delta region, would go down in the history in the April 13 Assembly elections as the Dravidian stalwart is all set to register his 12th victory to the Assembly.

Mr Karunanidhi, who holds the record of having won all the 11 elections and had constested since his debut in Kulithalai in 1957, has come to the home-turf for the first time as a proud ''son of the soil''.

The Octogenarian leader began his public life on the streets of Tiruvarur as a phamplet distributor at a tender age of 14, opposing imposition of Hindi in 1937.

He shot into fame, right from his school days when he became the poster boy for rationalist leader Periyar E V Ramasamy's Dravidian movement, flaying religious orthodoxy. Since then, he never looked back.

''We are delighted that our Thalaivar (Our Leader) has returned home after a long time and we would be too happy to ensure his thumping victory,'' P Shanmugavel, a 78-year-old farmer says.

Mr Karunanidhi, though locked in a 12-cornered contest in the compact constituency, with an electorate of 2.03 lakh, faces AIADMK nominee ''Kudavaasal'' M Rajendran, a member of the dominant ''Kallar'' community as his main rival.

Besides six Independents, the BJP, BSP and the newly launched Indiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) have fielded candiadtes. But they appear to be non-starters in the high voltage contest.

Karunanidhi has chosen to skip his favourite Chepauk constituency in Chennai this time opting for the 'son-of-the soil' tag in Tiruvarur in what has become a trend for top DMK leaders. They have shifted to constituencies from the state capital.

--UNI