Result will shock DMK: Sellur Raju

MADURAI: AIADMK MLA Sellur K Raju (Madurai West) hoped that the voters would give a shock treatment to the ruling DMK’s coalition candidate in the Erode East by-elections. The ground reality is that things are working out pretty well for the AIADMK in the constituency, Raju said in Madurai on Sunday.

Talking to reporters, he said people in the constituency are quite different as they wondered why most of Cabinet members of DMK government were visiting the constituency at a time now, when they did not get their way into the constituency earlier. Congress candidate is contesting the bypoll, but only the DMK leaders were camping in the constituency. The local people felt there were many councilors representing DMK under the limits of the constituency, but they did not even bother to visit earlier. On whether the money power would decide the fate of the bypoll, Raju said the electors are the masters and ultimately they would decide it.

Further, he said the DMK-led combine is devising a yet another new strategy in the poll bound Erode East constituency following the lines of ‘Thirumangalam formula’ and ‘Aravakurichi formula’. Field workers engaged by the DMK coalition were being treated like cattle put in a shed with camping Ministers providing them food, biryani, biscuits and water bottles. Further, the party men were showering money on people in the constituency. But, the Election Commission did not seem to act as a constraint against such unlawful activities and on the other hand acting in favour of the ruling party, he said.

On Kamal Haasan’s campaign, Raju said Makkal Neethi Maiam leader’s poll campaign would not have any impact. Kamal is still seen as a cine actor and not as a politician.