In Arakkonam, DMK anti-incumbency battles

Non-disposal of accumulated chromium sludge in Ranipet, lack of fully equipped ESI hospital, textile and IT parks are key concerns of voters

- PRAVEENA S A

THIS parliamentary election is special for S Jagathrakshakan, the incumbent MP and DMK candidate in Arakkonam. Call it a coincidence or calculated move, despite serving the constituency thrice- in 1999, 2009 and 2019 the 76-year-old has never sought a re-election. In 2019, he won by securing a whopping 57.47% share of votes. The candidate of PMK, which was in alliance with AIADMK then, came second with 29.34% vote share.

According to DMK sources, there were speculations that Vinoth Gandhi, son of minister R Gandhi, would be fielded in Arakkonam. However, Jagathrakshakan was retained due to concerns over potential fragmentation of votes and party's internal discords.

The presence of a heavyweight, however, has not deterred the opposition from putting every bit of effort to regain the seat. The AIADMK has fielded A L Vijayan (44), former Sholinghur town panchayat chairman. Interestingly, he is the only 'local' in the fray.

The PMK, now part of the NDA alliance, has fielded K Balu (53), a seasoned advocate and party spokesperson which makes him a familiar face. Balu's only electoral foray till now was his contest against actor and DMDK founder Vijayakant in 2016 from Ulundurpet assembly constituency. NTK's S Afsia Nasrin, a professor with a postgraduation in engineering, is also in the fray.

There is a significant presence of Vanniyars, a Most Backward Class community, and a sizable population of Scheduled Castes in the constituency.