Independents trying level best in Vellore election

Of the 28 candidates, other than the main contestants from the Dravidian majors and NTK ’s Deepalakshmi, there are 25 independents, but till date the electorate have seen only two of them on the road.

Bishop Godfrey Nobel from Tirunelveli is positive of his win. “My aim is to see that both DMK’s Kathir Anand and NDA’s AC Shanmugam lose their deposit,” he told DT Next. When asked about the basis of his confidence he said, “People are with me. You may not believe me, but the results will prove the truth of what I say.”

However, his confidence is not shared by all. Christi Babu a local said, “We wonder why he is wasting his money when the same can be put to good use elsewhere.” Nobel travels in an Innova car and his flag is similar to the DMK flag, the difference being a star in the middle.

He claims that all minorities will vote for him. Locals are surprised to see a man of the cloth on the poll trail. However, Nobel’s grouse is that the media does not give him TV time as “all focus is only on the main candidates,” he said.

Another independent Chellapandian of the TN Tipplers Awareness Party was annoyed that officials had refused him permission to campaign on a two-wheeler. Asked whether he would win, Chellapandian said “if my crowd comes after me, Vellore will be unable to contain them,” resulting in many who heard his words being taken aback.

With hardly a week to go for voting, people had neither seen nor heard any other independents.