'Thalapathy' Vijay's decision to fight from the Trichy East (Tiruchirappalli East) seat of Tamil Nadu is no cause for worry for the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), said Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply, K. N. Nehru. The DMK will win every seat within the Tiruchirappalli district limits, and all opponents, including the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief, will bite the dust, Nehru said.
Tiruchy will play a crucial role in M. K. Stalin's return to power, Nehru reportedly declared. He also dismissed the allegation that his party's government was purposefully trying to delay, if not block, Vijay’s campaign. "Why would we block his campaign? There is no need for us to do so," the DMK leader asked. It is Vijay's right to contest from any seat that he finds fit, as India is a democratic country, he added.
"In the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections, the DMK alliance will definitely win. Not only the nine constituencies in the Tiruchirappalli district, but the DMK alliance candidates will win in all 41 constituencies across the Delta region," Daily Thanthi quoted Nehru as saying.
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"People are asking what the DMK candidate’s chances will be if TVK leader Vijay contests from the Tiruchirappalli East constituency. Whoever contests, we will take all necessary efforts to ensure the victory of the DMK candidate," the Tamil daily quoted him as saying.
Trichy East is one of the prominent constituencies of Tiruchirappalli, with over 2.17 lakh voters. It is a semi-urban constituency, with over 30 per cent of the segment located on the outskirts of the city. The seat is currently held by S. Inigo Irudayaraj, the founder of the Christian organisation Christhuva Nallenna Iyakkam. Irudayaraj is contesting on the DMK’s 'rising sun' symbol. In 2021, he defeated the former AIADMK minister, Vellamandi Natarajan. S. Inigo Irudayaraj is contesting again from the constituency, while the AIADMK has fielded K. Rajasekaran.
With a large Christian voter base, particularly from the Vellalar community, the constituency also has a significant urban electorate, which constitutes nearly a quarter of the population. It is a strategically and sentimentally important seat in the history of Tamil Nadu, as the party winning from this constituency has formed the government in the past three elections after the delimitation in 2011.
Making his much-anticipated political debut, Vijay is contesting two seats. Apart from Tiruchirappalli East , he is also contestin the Permabur seat.