Chennai,Ā Oct 2:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay on Friday intensified his campaign for the October 6 Madurantakam Assembly bypoll with a roadshow through the constituency, seeking votes for TVK candidate K. Maragatham Kumaravel. The roadshow, covering several villages and stretches of the constituency, drew large crowds on both sides of the route. Vijay travelled in an open vehicle, waving to people who had gathered to catch a glimpse of him and seeking their support for the TVK candidate. The roadshow was part of Vijay’s campaign ahead of polling on October 6, with counting scheduled for October 9.
As the open vehicle moved through the constituency, people gathered in large numbers on either side of the roads. Party workers and members of the public lined the route, with the crowd swelling at several points. Vijay repeatedly waved his hands towards the people and acknowledged their greetings while continuing his campaign.
The roadshow also saw Vijay adopt a more direct, local outreach approach. During the campaign, he stopped at a tea shop and had tea, interacting with people in the area. The informal stop attracted the attention of local residents and party workers, as Vijay spent time engaging with people instead of limiting his campaign to a conventional roadshow.
Vijay also visited houses during the campaign and interacted with residents. He met women voters in particular, speaking to them and seeking their support. The interactions gave the campaign a door-to-door outreach element, with Vijay attempting to connect directly with voters in residential areas along the route.
In another striking moment during the roadshow, Vijay got down from his vehicle and reached a farmland. He took hold of a tractor and ploughed the agricultural field for some time. The gesture brought the campaign closer to the farming community and highlighted the rural character of the Madurantakam constituency.
The roadshow began amid elaborate arrangements as Vijay was scheduled to cover a long stretch of the constituency and meet people in several villages. Reports said the campaign route covered about 45 km and included interactions with people across around 35 villages. Security was also stepped up along the route, with police personnel deployed at several points and barricades put up to regulate the movement of the crowd and traffic.
The Madurantakam seat fell vacant after AIADMK MLA K. Maragatham Kumaravel resigned from the Assembly and joined the TVK. She is now contesting the bypoll as the TVK candidate. The constituency has emerged as one of the key electoral contests in the October 6 bypolls, with TVK, DMK, AIADMK, Left parties and other candidates in the fray.
Vijay’s roadshow came a day after TVK and its alliance partners held their first joint campaign meeting in Madurantakam. VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and IUML leaders participated in that campaign in support of the TVK candidate.
With just a few days left for polling, Vijay’s campaign combined the conventional roadshow format with direct interactions with voters. From waving to large crowds from the open vehicle to having tea at a local shop, visiting houses, meeting women voters and taking a turn at the tractor in a farmland, his campaign sought to project a direct connect with different sections of the Madurantakam electorate.