Chennai: The long weekend that accompanies the election is not just for the citizens to chill out, but also for the political leaders of Tamilnadu.
In fact, they very much need a break, after hectic alliance deals, gruelling campaign under the hot sun and, finally, casting their vote and monitoring the polling process Thursday.
For Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, the joint coordinator of the AIADMK, it was an opportunity to spend time with his aged mother Thavasi Ammal at their native village Siluvampalayam near Salem. He also visited the Lord Murugan temple there and voted in a primary school by standing in queue.
“The CM will be back to Chennai in a day or two. But, this doesn’t mean that he is on vacation. He is working from Salem and is constantly in touch with top officials in the capital,” sources say.
Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam too is in his native – Periyakulam.
This election is very crucial for his family, for his son O P Raveendranath Kumar is the party’s candidate in Theni. Along with wife Vijayalakshmi and Raveendranath, OPS exercised franchise at a polling booth in a school in Periyakulam.
“After voting by standing in queue at Seventh Day School, Panneerselvam went to his residence and had a good time with his family. At the same time, he was regularly interacting with party functionaries across Tamilnadu,” say sources.
DMK president M K Stalin, after intensively touring Tamilnadu in the past one month, is now in the company of his grandchildren at his Alwarpet residence in the city. “Thalapathy is known for his hardwork and he proved it once again during the campaigning. We will not disturb him for a couple of days,” says a DMK office-bearer.
PMK founder S Ramadoss and his son and party’s youth wing head Anbumani Ramadoss (who sought re-election from Dharmapuri) are in their farmhouse in Thailapuram near Tindivanam. “Their family members have joined them,” sources state.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko is in his native Kalingapatti. When he went to a government higher secondary school in the village to cast his vote, he was accompanied by his brother V Ravichandran and son Durai Vaiyapuri.
“Even as spending time with family members, Vaiko was in constant touch with his party’s sole candidate Ganeshamurthi who contested in Erode on behalf of the DMK-led alliance,” according to party sources.