Chennai/Trichy: Facing the elections for the first time, several TVK candidates are struggling to match the vigorous campaigns of DMK and AIADMK. In Coimbatore’s Thondamuthur constituency, where AIADMK’s S P Velumani is conducting extensive campaigns and outreach, TVK candidate K P R Sathish barely manages to assemble 10 people to campaign for him. For a party that draws a huge crowd whenever their neta Vijay campaigns, mobilising cadres for the poll campaign has turned out to be a challenge.Not just the absence of a robust grassroots network, but also a lack of experience has placed TVK candidates in a disadvantageous position in many places. In the Sulur segment in Coimbatore, the TVK candidate struggled to respond to the questions of a vegetable vendor. A video of the incident went viral on social media. At Egmore in Chennai, cadres campaigning for candidate Rajmohan distributed pamphlets to guest workers who don’t have a vote in Tamil Nadu. Unlike other parties, which have elaborate localised campaign schedules, TVK candidates are following schedules designed by strategists based in Chennai.
These campaigns comprise two legs – door-to-door canvassing and pamphlet distribution in residential clusters in the morning and street corner meetings in the evening. With a lack of effective speakers, TVK functionaries are facing a challenge in ensuring an effective street corner meeting.Fund constraints have also emerged in some places. A party worker said, “Cadres were provided between 500 and 1,000/day for food and travel, but payments were not made for the past week.”