Poll date may play key role in Tiruchy (West)

TIRUCHY: The date of by-elections in Tiruchy (west) is eagerly awaited by political parties as it will have a crucial role in determining the intensity and outcome of the contest.A by-election coinciding with the local body elections in October will be better for the opposition DMK, as the candidates for the wards with their popularity and co-operation could improve its prospects.However, a separate date for the by-election would make it harder for the DMK, as the candidate should depend on his popularity and campaign alone, even if the district leadership comes to his aid.In case of the by-election coinciding with the local body polls, the DMK has more chances of increasing its vote share, even if the party was not able to win the constituency. As the DMK has more popular faces in each ward in the constituency, they may poll a sizeable number of votes, which would be a big addition to the party’s candidate for the bypoll.Besides, a civic body poll along with by-poll will ensure easier co-ordination at the grass roots level. With most of the party functionaries reeling under a spate of cases, the party leadership would find it hard to enthuse the cadre to fight the by-election, in case of an isolated contest. A combined local body and by-polls would force the involvement of more local functionaries and naturally lead to more enthusiasm.Former minister KN Nehru contested in this constituency in the Assembly elections and lost to AIADMK’s Mariyam Pichai by a margin of about 7,000 votes. It is not known, whether Nehru would contest again or not. The AIADMK is optimistic of a good performance in the civic polls as well as by-poll as the voter generally prefers the ruling party as it would help the development of the constituency.The MDMK too has a good organisation in the district and a few popular faces with close contacts with the local people. The party’s district secretary and veteran leader Malarmannan, is a well known face, and he could pose a challenge to the candidates of major parties, if he jumped into the fray. A separate by-poll contest would be helpful to the MDMK too.