Chennai: With welfare schemes and focused campaigning, the M.Ok. Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) authorities in Tamil Nadu is making a visual effort to woo the state’s 3.15 crore ladies voters, lots of whom as soon as rallied behind All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leaders M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and J. Jayalalithaa.
On the centre of the newest leg of this outreach is Chennai’s 29-year-old Mayor, Priya Rajan, who has been roped in to marketing campaign for the occasion forward of the 27 February East Erode meeting bypoll. Many ministers and prime DMK leaders, too, are campaigning within the constituency for DMK-Congress candidate E.V.Ok.S. Elangovan, a former chief of the Tamil Nadu Congress.
Sources within the DMK mentioned apart from wooing younger and girls voters, Priya has been entrusted with spreading consciousness within the constituency in regards to the occasion’s insurance policies and schemes.
In January this 12 months, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo had knowledgeable the citizens that in Tamil Nadu, ladies voters (numbering 3,15,43,286) outnumber their male counterparts (3,04,89,866). He had additionally mentioned the state has 4,66,374 voters aged between 18 and 19 years.
On the DMK’s technique to depend on the younger Chennai mayor forward of the Erode East bypoll, Ramu Manivannan, a professor within the division of Politics and Public Administration on the College of Madras, mentioned that although Priya is “not a charismatic chief like Jayalalithaa, typically her place as mayor of the capital metropolis will be an inspiration for a lot of”.
He added: “If you’re sending ladies mayors for bypolls (to marketing campaign), DMK has many plans alongside the best way for the long run, is what we are able to perceive.”
In the meantime, speaking in regards to the DMK’s possibilities within the bypolls, Tamil-English author and political commentator Maalan Narayanan informed ThePrint, “This byelection is not going to be a tricky problem for DMK, however is barely a testing floor for his or her groundwork for the larger race in 2024 (Parliamentary elections) and 2026 (meeting polls).”
Curiously, the AIADMK, which previously had quite a lot of in style schemes focused at ladies voters — together with one which supplied totally free mangalsutras and one other that subsidised the acquisition of two-wheelers for girls — has identified that a few of these schemes had been withdrawn by the Stalin-led authorities.
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‘Free bus rides, stipends for lady college students’
A substantial part of ladies voters in Tamil Nadu was aligned with the AIADMK until the time MGR after which Jayalalithaa — affectionately known as Amma by supporters — had been on the helm. However political observers say Jayalalithaa’s demise might have triggered a shift amongst ladies voters in direction of the DMK.
“Within the AIADMK, infighting, factionalism and lack of fine ladies faces has additionally led to ladies voters switching sides. The AIADMK’s failure in 2019 (Lok Sabha polls) and later in 2021 (meeting polls) are all indicators of this,” Chennai-based political analyst Priyan informed ThePrint.
He added: “DMK is attempting to win over ladies voters who had been earlier with Jayalalithaa. They launched a free bus scheme for girls and that was an enormous hit. For girls school college students who joined school, Rs 1,000 is given month-to-month. This scheme has benefited over 2.5 lakh lady college students.”
In response to Priyan, the DMK has been scoring browning factors with its gamut of schemes aimed on the welfare of pregnant ladies, widows, single ladies, lady college students and girls eligible for marriage.
“Training is one thing that may by no means be taken away. An informed lady will empower her house and her society and she or he received’t want help to purchase mangalsutra or a motorbike,” mentioned DMK spokesperson Salem Dharanidharan.
Since assuming workplace in Could 2021, Stalin has introduced, amongst different welfare initiatives, free bus journey for girls in government-owned metropolis and city buses. In his Price range speech final 12 months, Finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan mentioned the scheme led to a rise within the share of ladies passengers travelling in authorities buses from 40 per cent to 61 per cent.
One other in style scheme introduced by the DMK envisioned Rs 1,000 month-to-month assist to ladies heads of households, however the scheme is but to be applied.
Equally, beneath the Pudhumai Penn (trendy ladies) scheme, DMK launched a programme for girls school college students, who had studied in authorities colleges from courses 6 to 12, to be given Rs 1,000 month-to-month assist until the completion of school.
“It is a revolutionary scheme that can encourage extra lady college students to go to varsity,” mentioned DMK spokesperson A. Saravanan, including that Stalin is the “solely chief in Tamil Nadu who appeals to children and younger ladies”.
“We’ve got at all times been dedicated to uplifting ladies. He places the pursuits of Tamil Nadu within the forefront and he’s the perfect mascot now we have now,” Saravanan informed ThePrint.
On the DMK’s marketing campaign for the Erode East bypoll, AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan —who’s now in Erode — mentioned, “DMK’s desperation has pushed them to ship new faces, however nothing will change. Ladies voters will vote just for Amma’s AIADMK.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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