Chennai: While the AIADMK is planning to release its list of candidates on former party supremo J Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary on February 24, several sitting MLAs — many seen as frontrunners for renomination — have started preparing the ground for the polls.From organising cash-heavy sports meets, Pongal celebrations and jallikattu events to more personalised, household-centric measures, the aspirants have loosened their purse strings to consolidate their bases. Some of the aspirants are opening bank accounts for families. They are helping start small-savings schemes like the Selva Magal Semippu Thittam for young girls. Poster campaigns and door to door visits have also begun.
Party insiders say around 45 sitting MLAs, majority of them from western region, including former ministers and heavyweights, are likely to secure renomination. “Except for three or four MLAs in the western region, most will be renominated. Many have started distributing gifts to households,” said a senior AIADMK functionary. In Pappireddipatti, MLA A Govindasamy has recently reached out to households and facilitated opening of over 1,500 Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana accounts. He plans to add another 1,200 accounts. Alongside, he organised rangoli competitions for women and cricket and kabaddi tournaments to draw youngsters into the fold. Similar exercises are underway in Singanallur, Perundurai, and several constituencies of Salem.“I am giving hot boxes, flasks and other kitchenware worth Rs 500 to households. I have planned to cover 50,000 families in the constituency,” said a sitting MLA from a western district. He said some of his assembly colleagues were giving gifts worth more than Rs 1,000 to each family. But the picture is markedly different in the south and delta regions. Many AIADMK MLAs there are adopting a wait-and-watch approach, unwilling to spend before clarity on seat-sharing emerges. With T T V Dhinakaran’s AMMK staking claim for seats in the south and delta region, the AIADMk aspirants there say they would start the work once seat allocation is done. In Nilakottai assembly segment though, the AIADMK as well as BJP aspirants have started campaign work, both eying for the seat.“Unlike the western region, MLAs in Madurai and the southern districts are cautious. With multiple players eyeing the same constituencies, only senior leaders are assured of tickets,” said a senior AIADMK functionary.
