Riding on the back of a clutch of development projects executed over the past five years in the city, the DMK’s principal secretary and Minister for Municipal Administration K.N. Nehru is hoping to overcome any negative voter sentiment owing to the recent allegations of corruption against him and achieve a hat-trick of victories in the Tiruchi West constituency.
The 73-year-old veteran, known for his organisational skills, is entering the fray for the sixth straight elections in the constituency. Mr. Nehru first won from Tiruchi West (known as Tiruchi II before being renamed after the delimitation in 2009) in 2006 after shifting from his native Lalgudi, but lost two subsequent elections in 2011, including the by-election held after the demise of N. Mariam Pitchai of the AIADMK that year.
He coasted to comfortable victories over the AIADMK candidates, R. Manoharan, the then Government Chief Whip, in 2016 and V. Padmanathan, a newbie, in 2021. The allegations of corruption raised by the Enforcement Directorate recently against him notwithstanding, Mr. Nehru appears to be on cruise mode yet again.
After two successive losses to Mr.Nehru, the AIADMK seems to have shied away from a direct fight, preferring to allot the seat to the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam in the National Democratic Alliance, this time.
