Days Before Key Tamil Nadu Poll, MK Stalin Reaches Out To Women

Days before the Erode East bypoll in Tamil Nadu, the DMK government has announced that it would fulfill its poll promise of Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to women in the upcoming budget in March.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin made the announcement as he launched his campaign for the Erode East constituency election scheduled for February 27. "In the upcoming budget in March, we will announce when the Rs 1,000 monthly allowance for women would begin," he said while campaigning for Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan.

The DMK leader claimed his government had fulfilled 85% of its poll promises. "We have implemented a first-of-its-kind free bus ride for women and free breakfast in schools. We made five-year poll promises but we will fulfill them by the end of this year." 

The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA Thirumahan Everaa. The national party, an ally of the ruling DMK, fielded veteran leader EVKS Elangovan, who's the father of the late MLA. 

Calling the poll a referendum on his government, Mr Stalin asked voters to make the AIADMK candidate lose deposit. 

While it's a battle for prestige for the ruling DMK, this is the first poll for AIADMK Chief Edappadi Palaniswami after he became the singular leader of the party. Erode East seat is part of the western belt of the state, traditionally seen as an AIADMK stronghold.

The party aims to retrieve the seat which it lost with a margin of less than 9,000 votes in 2021.

The bypoll campaign has been marred by allegations of cash for votes by both sides.

"The ruling party confines people in sheds the whole day, pays them cash and serves biryani so the AIADMK rallies will not get good crowds," AIADMK MP Thambidurai said. 

BJP state Chief K Annamalai called it "patti culture". Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram denied these allegations. "They can report it to the Election Commission. These are allegations. The mood of the people is clear. They would vote correctly".

In the Erode bypoll, which is seen as a prelude to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the ruling DMK has received unexpected supported from actor-politician Kamal Haasan, a staunch critic of Dravidian parties.