Former Union Minister and the Congress candidate for the Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha seat, Mani Shankar Aiyar strongly believes that the good work done by him as an MP for the constituency over the past two decades will fetch him a comfortable victory in the upcoming polls.
At a time when Congress leaders in the state are worried about the lack of any tie-ups going into the polls, Aiyar is unperturbed by alliance arithmetic. He is facing the battlefield with all the confidence and eagerness of a seasoned campaigner.
Aiyar, a Rajya Sabha MP, is locked in a very tough contest against AIADMK's Bharathi Mohan, DMK-ally Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK)'s Hyder Ali and PMK's Agoram in BJP's rainbow alliance.
Addressing a recent meeting of party cadre at Tirukkadaiyur near Porayar, Aiyar said, "Forget the elections. People treat me as one of their family. I have visited all the villages, even the remotest ones, several times since 1991. I am very concerned about the welfare of the rural people and have done my best to address their grievances."
He said that his achievements and services to the constituency would enable him to sail through smoothly. "I do not make empty claims. I can publish a 200-page book on my achievements, which stand tall as industries, buildings, hospitals, roads and bridges. People recognise my services well and I only ask them to judge me by my achievements," he said.
He claimed he had done a lot to bring industrialisation to the constituency, citing as examples the natural gas collecting station and an LPG bottling plant at Kuthalam. He also pointed at the multipurpose indoor sports stadium, a special area games centre at Mayiladuthurai and the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture Research at Sirkazhi.
"During 2004-2009, Mayiladuthurai stood first in the country in implementing the Prime Minister's village road scheme," he said. As a close friend of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Aiyar entered the electoral fray at Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district in 1991 after resigning from the Indian Foreign Service.
In the last six general elections, Aiyar has won thrice and lost thrice. In 1998, when he contested as an independent, he polled an impressive 77,000 votes.
In the 2009 general elections, Aiyar lost to AIADMK's OS Manian, who won by a margin of 35,000 votes. But despite having tasted defeat in the last general elections, he had kept making monthly visits to the constituency. Wherever he visits, people approach him with affection and take the liberty of even arguing with him on many issues.
AIADMK has deputed Fisheries Minister KA Jayapaul to campaign for Bharathi Mohan, a former MLA and a popular figure in Kumbakonam. Agoram, the PMK candidate, seems to have the headstart after launching his campaign a few months back.
Vanniyars form a dominant community in the area. Mayiladuthurai is one of the few constituencies in the state where Muslim voters form a sizeable portion of the electorate and MMK hopes to easily win the seat. Aiyar is confident, but he has an uphill climb ahead.
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