COIMABATORE: Independent candidates continued their eye-catching strategies for the upcoming polls as well, with one filing nomination entirely in coins.
Gandhian activist T Ramesh of the Ahimsa Socialist Party pedalled to the election office dressed as Mahatma Gandhi, carrying a toy gun and stick, with a camera strapped to his head. He submitted his Rs 10,000 deposit entirely in coins, prompting election officials to painstakingly count each denomination.
Speaking to reporters, Ramesh said, “I am contesting for the 14th time, now in alliance with Tamilaga Valvurimai Katchi. I came here to insist that government officials be issued ID cards with cameras and GPS to prevent corruption. Women should be issued firearms for safety.” Another independent, Ramasamy from Mettupalayam, also paid the deposit in coins at Paramathi in Namakkal.
Election veteran K Padmarajan, known as the “Election King,” filed his nomination for the 253rd time from Mettur constituency in Salem. Since 1988, Padmarajan has contested parliamentary, assembly, and local elections, often against prominent leaders. Sixty-eight-year-old Noor Mohammed, contesting for the 49th time, made headlines by carrying a clay pot from Perur cemetery in Coimbatore, which he smashed 100 meters from the election office before submitting his nomination.
Explaining the gesture, he said, “for everyone, final rites should happen at the cemetery, but if votes are bought, the final rites happen at home. People should vote for good candidates without receiving money.” Meanwhile, candidates from Naam Tamilar Katchi in Coimbatore and neighbouring districts turned the filing of nominations into a visual spectacle, arriving in bullock carts and on horseback, carrying farm implements to symbolise the party’s focus on agriculture and rural issues.