In Coimbatore, BJP has high hopes for Annamalai to lead the ‘change’

NEW DELHI: In what will be a riveting battle for the prized Lok Sabha seat of the ‘Manchester of south India’ – Coimbatore, the BJP, led by Prime Minister Modi, has placed all bets on its state president, K Annamalai’s popularity and profile to lead the ‘change from Coimbatore’ in Tamil Nadu.
In the first media interview to a regional outlet ahead of the polls, the Prime Minister, expecting the ‘tables to turn’ in Tamil Nadu, argued that the BJP was the preferred party of choice for youngsters like Annamalai, who are not swayed by ‘money and corruption.’
The Prime Minister, also endorsing the ex-IPS officer’s candidature, took part in the culmination of his ‘En Makal En Yatra’ at Palladam, not very far from Coimbatore.Modi held the longest roadshow in the constituency with Annamalai and paid obeisance to the victims of the 1998 blast that happened during LK Advani’s visit – after which the constituency has featured importantly in BJP’s electoral thinking in the region.
Speaking about the significance of the Prime Minister’s visit and roadshow in Coimbatore ahead of the , a BJP worker recalled that ‘Modi’s first visit after assuming office as Prime Minister in 2014 was to Coimbatore.’
BJP vs DMK vs AIADMK
BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief Annamalai, who of late has made news more often than not, is pitted against IT wing head, Singai Ramachandran of the AIADMK; former Mayor of Coimbatore, Ganapathy P Raj Kumar, who had joined the DMK after leaving the AIADMK in 2020; and NTK’s Kalamani Jeganathan.
Though widely considered an AIADMK stronghold, the BJP is betting that the odds are in its favor this time. BJP’s optimism is buoyed by the fact the constituency is communally sensitive and industrially rich with a fair north Indian workforce. Soon after the blasts during Advani’s visit in 1998, BJP’s C P Radhakrishnan won the seat in 1998 and 1999. In the state elections of 2021, BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan defeated MNM’s Kamal Hassan in Coimbatore to be among the four lawmakers for the saffron party in the state assembly. The popular actor and politician is now leading a campaign for the DMK across the state after deciding to merge his party with the latter.
Anticipating a tough fight, DMK this time around has decided to go against its decade-old seat-sharing agreement with the CPM. DMK’s Ganapathy Raj Kumar will contest in incumbent MP Natrajan’s place. The DMK candidate is also expected to get a high-profile endorsement by Chief minister Stalin and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who will head a INDIA bloc rally in Coimbatore on April 12, a week ahead of the polls.
What makes the battle all the more interesting is the profile of the candidates. All three candidates share the distinction of being graduates of the same popular college body in the city. While Annamalai and G. Singai Ramachandran are also alumni of the IIM. The AIADMK candidate’s father was once elected a state legislator from Singanallur in Coimbatore.
All is not well on the business front
The business community constitutes an important part of the electorate. Known to be one of the fastest-growing tier-two cities, Coimbatore has around 25,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME).
Recently, the MSMEs have raised concerns with the union govt’s decision to stop the subsidy given to them and have demanded a reduction of GST for the MSMEs. There has been a cry from the spinning mills, textile industries across the district urging the central and state govts to reduce raw material prices and power tariff.
On the IT front however, the city looks all set for a boom especially after recent investments announced during the recently concluded Global Investors Meet (GIM).
Annamalai addressing a business community accused the state govt of not securing enough investments as much as the state govts of UP and Gujarat could seal for their states.
During his campaign, Singai G Ramachandran of the AIADMK promised to make the city a start-up & IT hub, and bring infrastructure development. DMK’s Ganapathy P Raj Kumar is campaigning on the plank of expediting the Metro project, providing better connectivity in terms of air and rail. While Annamalai has promised more investment, better law & order, and said there are detailed plans that will come out along with ‘separate manifestos’ prepared for each constituency.
Meanwhile, the ruling DMK, confident of another landslide victory, has accused PM Modi of being ‘a part-time politician,’ and selectively visiting Tamil Nadu only to suit his electoral pursuits. Chief minister Stalin in a recent interview claimed that the Prime Minister’s visit, if anything, will ‘benefit the DMK.’
The electorate on April 19 and ultimately the results on June 4 will tell how much of these claims for and against each other have really made an impact on the minds of the voters.
Notwithstanding the chaos, the keenly watched contest promises to be an intense battle with AIADMK vying to defend its bastion, the DMK wanting to undo its 2014 poll nightmare of ending up third, and the BJP looking to embark on its grand mission Tamil Nadu beginning from Coimbatore.