CM Stalin's thumbs-up sign goes viral

CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin's five-day private visit to Kodaikanal raked up political significance due to a gesture he made at Madurai airport on his way to the hill station: a thumbs-up.

Arriving in the temple city with his family, Stalin gave a thumbs-up in response to a query from the waiting media personnel about the DMK president's confidence in winning the polls.

The gesture, such as the one CM Stalin made after sealing the deal with Congress, gained traction on social media, which hailed it as the leader's confidence in winning polls.

Meanwhile, the CM and his family checked into a star hotel in the Pambarpuram area.

On his arrival in Kodaikanal at around 3 pm, members of the public and DMK functionaries welcomed him at various locations along the route, presenting bouquets, shawls, and books, which he received from his car.

At Pambarpuram, he stopped briefly to interact with the party city secretary, Mohamed Ibrahim, enquired about his well-being, and accepted a shawl and a book from him.

More than 1,000 police personnel drawn from different districts have been deployed across the hill station and surrounding areas as part of the security arrangements for the visit.

The Chief Minister’s arrival led to traffic congestion in parts of the town and the hill areas, as vehicular movement slowed.

In view of the visit, the Highways Department undertook emergency road repair works overnight in several stretches in the town and outskirts, though the temporary relaying was reported to have deteriorated by morning.

With the tourist season having commenced and footfall increasing in Kodaikanal, residents and visitors have urged the authorities to expedite permanent repairs to the potholed Vathalagundu main road.

Stalin is scheduled to stay in Kodaikanal for five days and return to Chennai on Wednesday afternoon via Madurai.

This is the third instance of the Chief Minister visiting Kodaikanal for a short break ahead of vote counting, having undertaken similar trips after polling in the 2021 Assembly election and the 2024 Lok Sabha election.