The roadshow drew crowds along several stretches, with people gathering outside their homes and at junctions to catch a glimpse of Vijay.
MADURANTAKAM: With just four days left for the Oct 6 bypolls, Tamil Nadu chief minister and TVK president C Joseph Vijay on Friday took his campaign through more than 30 villages in Madurantakam assembly constituency, covering 45 km in a roadshow to seek votes for party candidate Maragatham Kumaravel. PMK was part of the AIADMK-led alliance in the April 23 assembly election, in which Kumaravel won the Madurantakam seat on the AIADMK’s two leaves symbol. Both had won their respective constituencies on the AIADMK symbol in the April 23 election before resigning and joining the ruling party.
He said Kumaravel undermined and disrespected the hard work of PMK functionaries and cadres, who worked for her victory as part of the AIADMK-led NDA front. A few PMK flags were also spotted along the route, despite party leader Anbumani Ramadoss announcing that his party would not support any of the candidates in the bypolls. The presence of the flags, however, does not establish any change in the party’s official position. In fact, Anbumani was critical of TVK and its candidate during a media interaction during the day. The bypoll was necessitated by Kumaravel’s resignation after she quit the AIADMK and joined the TVK along with Dharapuram MLA P Sathyabama. They urged alliance cadres to intensify their efforts to secure her victory.
On Thursday, leaders of the TVK-led Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance, including VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, TNCC leader Manickam Tagore, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and representatives of the IUML, jointly campaigned for Kumaravel.