Friction visible in Vellore NDA even before poll campaign

Adding fuel to that the AIADMK cadre were also miffed with the NDA candidate AC Shanmugam, who is acting mostly on his own. His act of paying homage to slain Hindu Munnani state secretary S Vellaiappan was needlessly irking the 3.50 lakh minority community voters in Vellore, Ambur, Gudiyattam and Vaniyambadi Assembly constituencies. “What message are we sending to Muslim voters who are anti-BJP, by such an act?” a leader demanded.

Not only that, district office-bearers were peeved that a meeting of party men was called for by those close to NDA candidate Shanmugam without their being invited. “Only after some annoyed leaders fired broadsides did ACS directly intervene and apologise for the gaffe,” said a district leader who preferred anonymity.

“Shanmugam will begin campaigning from Wednesday when district minister KC Veeramani – after attending to the demand of grants for the Commercial Taxes ministry in the state Assembly – arrives,” said AIADMK district treasurer M Moorthy. Cadre are waiting to see what strategy the Minister will adopt to win following his losing the Ambur and Gudiyattam by-elections to the DMK. Party worker SK Narasimhan of Ambur said, “if AIADMK loses, then Veeramani will be in trouble as rivals will be out for his scalp.”

Meanwhile, the AMMK announced that it will not participate in the electoral process. However, local residents wonder at the reason for countermanding of the earlier poll when the same candidate has been announced by the DMK this time around. It may be recalled that Deepa Lakshmi of the Naam Tamilar Katchi – who is contesting again - had suggested going ahead with the polls after changing the DMK candidate.

Meanwhile, officials were nonplussed when both the Thanthai Periyar Engineering College in Vellore and a private college in Vaniyambadi expressed inability to hand over their institutions for counting of votes as classes were about to start and students could not be informed as the process was online. Hence, officials were mulling using a private engineering college in Ranipet which falls in the Arakonam LS constituency.