TN POLLS: WHY THE DRAVIDIAN DUOPOLY IS UNDER FIRE

A four-cornered contest has made the electoral outcome difficult to predict in Tamil Nadu

- N. Madhavan

Velmurugan J., a hospitality sector executive from Kulithalai town near Karur, considers himself lucky. He decided to attend actor Joseph Vijay’s political rally in Karur on 27 September last year, urged on by his colleague who was a die-hard fan of the star.

By noon, they reached Velusamy puram, the venue of the meeting on the Karur-Erode highway, and took a vantage position near a generator shed. The crowd was swelling and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader's arrival was delayed. His friend turned down Velmurugan’s suggestion that they leave.

“Vijay's bus was supposed to stop near where we stood but people were standing in every inch of the space. I was not comfortable,” he recalled. The actor-turned politician finally turned up by 7pm.

As Vijay’s bus made its way, splitting the crowd, it caused a round of stampede. Velmurugan was pushed towards the generator shed. His friend fell but managed to move to safety. Many others couldn't. At least 41 people died that day in the stampede and over 100 were injured in one of the worst such disasters in Tamil Nadu.

The incident left a scar on Velmurugan but he does not want to blame Vijay for it.

“It was badly organized,” he said. His friend, he added, will still vote for TVK in the assembly polls scheduled for 23 April. But he is considering voting for Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), led by S. Seeman, a former filmmaker.

“I like his approach to politics. While most leaders entice people with freebies either to cover their poor performance or grab power, he has been talking against it and promising just good governance,” Velmurugan explained.