TIRUCHY: Denying to be dragged into Vijay factor, Tiruchy East sitting MLA and DMK candidate Inigo S Irudayaraj on Saturday exuded confidence of a landslide win, predicting a margin of at least one lakh votes in the high-profile contest where TVK chief is in the fray.
Inigo declined to comment on Vijay. Party sources said the leadership had advised candidates not to give the TVK chief undue attention, signalling the DMK does not see him as a decisive factor in the seat or doesn't want to give him political mileage by targeting him.
After filing his nomination, Inigo cited constituency development during his tenure and sustained grassroots connect as key to his prospects.
“People have reciprocated my work; that support will continue,” he said. He reiterated his stand against shifting the Gandhi Market, saying Chief Minister MK Stalin had assured on the Assembly floor that it would remain at its present location. “I will continue to press the issue; the market will not be shifted,” he said.
Positioning himself as a leader with cross-community reach, Inigo said he enjoyed strong support among minorities as well as across communities, which would translate into a decisive victory.
Hitting back at AIADMK candidate Rajasekaran’s criticism, he asked rivals to “tour the constituency and see the development of the past five years.”