00:00You know, some of the images that you referred to, we're playing those on our screen.
00:03So the chief minister's rather unique campaign this time in these two seats.
00:07You know, what's very, very telling of how crucial this is for the TVK
00:11is the fact that we've seen the chief minister spend considerable time
00:15campaigning on both Madhuran Takam and Darapuram.
00:17And this was in the form of meeting many of the voters, riding a bullock out there.
00:23You can see capturing, grabbing some of these portrait pictures of him
00:27that refers to him as the next MGR, driving a tractor, all of this.
00:31You see him interacting with the locals there, sitting down, having tea with them.
00:36Very interesting images.
00:38And, you know, what this does is the TVK is trying to create an image
00:41that, yes, he's the chief minister.
00:43Yes, he's been a superstar.
00:45But none of that matters.
00:46He's going to connect with the people.
00:48That's the messaging with the kind of campaign that you've seen on the ground,
00:52Madhuran Takam and Darapuram.
00:54And he's essentially ensured that every section of the society,
00:58every occupation, every aspect is covered in this campaign.
01:02So this particular bipolar is shaping up to be a crucial test
01:05for the state's political equation.
01:07But guess what?
01:07Even as you've seen this campaign, the DMK has been suggesting
01:11that this is a result of host trading.
01:13They're also claiming that there are attempts to further break up the DMK,
01:18further break up the party and ensure more MLA's switch over.
01:22Let's give you a sense of what's playing out in this bipolar,
01:27in these two seats.
01:38Less than 24 hours to go for the big Tamil Nadu bi-pol battle.
01:43High drama is unfolding ahead of the by-election.
01:48The DMK alleges host trading by TVK,
01:50claiming that two MDMK MLAs,
01:53who won from the DMK,
01:54were approached by the ruling party.
01:56Chief Minister Mr. Vijay
01:58had called upon the DMK,
02:00the MDMK General Secretary, Mr. Vajko,
02:02and asked him,
02:03assured him that to see that the two MLA's get resigned.
02:08And both the two constituencies,
02:11by elections will be taken care by Mr. Vijay.
02:16The DMK also slammed TVK's election symbol,
02:19calling the whistle the blow of the death knell.
02:43The TVK2 is hitting back at DMK's jibes.
02:47Chief Minister Vijay,
02:48called Stalin Party and Evil Force.
03:22Meanwhile, a case has been filed
03:24against leader of opposition Udhaniti Stalin
03:26for involving children in an election campaign,
03:30after a child was made to speak
03:32against Chief Minister Vijay.
03:35A complaint has been registered
03:37at Dharapuram police station.
03:40As the battle heats up,
03:41the rhetoric is getting sharper.
03:44All eyes are now on the voting day.
03:47With Pramod Madhav, Anaga Keshav
03:49and Apoorva Jayachandran,
03:51Bureau Report, India Today.
03:57Now let me also bring in Apoorva Jayachandran
03:59on this broadcaster.
04:00Apoorva, you've been to Dharapuram.
04:02That's considered to be the most interesting
04:05or close fight, if I can put it that way,
04:07between Madhuran Thukam and Dharapuram.
04:10What makes that particular battle interesting, Apoorva?
04:17Well, that's right.
04:18In fact, Akshita Dharapuram definitely does draw
04:20a lot of interesting and pertinent issues
04:23to the ground there.
04:24There, it's not about the fan factor.
04:27It's not about, you know,
04:29mostly the only pain that the voters of Dharapuram have
04:32is of that of the essence, that is betrayal.
04:35That's what we were able to understand
04:37when we were speaking to a lot of people.
04:39More importantly, a betrayal over not only just,
04:43you know, the MLA who has resigned from the AIADMK,
04:46jumped ship and gone to the TVK,
04:48but also on the fact that there has been
04:50a longstanding issue that has been going on,
04:53which is particularly when it comes
04:54to the agrarian society over there.
04:57Predominantly with most of the public there,
05:00most of the people there, their livelihoods,
05:02they are farmers, they are in agriculture.
05:04It seems that there is a lot of water shortage
05:08and acute water scarcity has definitely borne a hole
05:12in these farmers' pockets as well.
05:14When we talk about Dharapuram,
05:16we are not only talking about the PAP Uppar Dam issue,
05:20we are also talking about the Nalladangal Canal,
05:23which is also one of the most important canals there,
05:26which has remained shut for close to over 19 months,
05:30just of the fact that there hasn't been any water release
05:33and the dam, despite being constructed
05:36with so much crows there,
05:37that just lays, haphazardly just lays around
05:41in that empty fields there, dried up,
05:43which is also causing public to go ahead,
05:46the farmers to go ahead, be it for cultivation,
05:48irrigation or even for their daily necessity needs,
05:51they have to opt for buying water,
05:54procuring water from tankers,
05:55despite having a resource of rainwater.
05:58You know, because you are giving us a sense
06:00of the issues there,
06:01there have been a lot of videos
06:03against the candidate right now,
06:05fielded by the TVK,
06:07previously the AIA, DMK, MLA, Satya Bama.
06:09So is there a sense of anti-incumbency in Dharapuram
06:12and does that translate to an advantage
06:14to DMK or AIA, DMK?
06:19Well, like I mentioned,
06:21more than anti-incumbency,
06:22it's about the fact that none of the leaders,
06:24be it from the DMK, the AIA, DMK
06:27or even the TVK,
06:28when Satya Bama had won from the AIA, DMK,
06:31the particularity and the popularity
06:33that she received,
06:34that was because she had won
06:36from the Retta Eli symbol
06:37or the two-leaf symbol,
06:38which is the AIA, DMK symbol there.
06:40It was more about AIA, DMK gaining traction there,
06:43which is why the public had voted
06:45in that community,
06:46particularly when it comes to,
06:49you know, Dharapuram
06:50and the Kongu belt,
06:51it is the AIA, DMK
06:53that always has been having
06:54a very comfortable majority there
06:56and which is what had also translated
06:58in terms of the numbers
06:59that AIA, DMK received
07:00and that's what Ripadi K. Pandya Swami,
07:03the AIA, DMK general secretary
07:04is banking on
07:05even right now
07:06as the campaigns have just completed.
07:07But it will be interesting to see
07:09because you have CM Vijay,
07:11that factor also coming in,
07:12the whistle factor that is coming in
07:14and the DMK also putting ahead
07:16a very strong candidate there.
07:18The only candidate
07:19who has been able
07:20to give us strong values
07:22in terms of what they will be
07:24going ahead and doing
07:24in terms of action
07:26if their winter power
07:27is the Naam Tamar Kachi Skartiga.
07:29In fact, she has also put out
07:31a very interesting set of views there
07:32in terms of finding out
07:34long-term solutions
07:35for these problems,
07:36these problems particularly
07:37No, and she has performed well
07:38electorally previously also
07:40in the Nagarkoil region.
07:41So, there is that aspect
07:42that the NTK could be a vote.
07:44the NTK could be a vote.
