'Shun saffron' secure victory, Nilofer told

A person close to key member of a Vaniyambadi mosque told her point blank that if she campaigned for the combine with the BJP flag also on her car, then her party (AIADMK) would not even get its deposit. On the contrary, if she contested without any semblance of the saffron flag, then AIADMK cadre and community members would ensure her victory.

The minister was taken aback at this ‘warning’ until she realised that the DMK MPs — Dayanidhi Maran and Kanimozhi — had finished their campaign in the constituency recently along with meeting business and community leaders in both Ambur and Vaniyambadi.

What also infuriated locals was that nearly 500 community leaders still face cases related to protests against CAA and NRC, despite the government announcement of dropping most cases.

Meanwhile, a former MLA decided to do his bit by stating that he would call on people to vote based on the track record of candidates in the fray and not on those of party.

Former AIADMK MLA M Kalaiarasu told DT Next that he would inform people to view a candidate’s record and then vote.

"This was the only way to ensure that the public got the candidate of their choice," he said.