DMK Minister P K Sekarbabu Intensifies Campaign in Chennai's Harbour Constituency
As dusk settled over Chennai, P K Sekarbabu's black-and-red jeep rolled into St Xavier Street in George Town, its loudspeakers blaring "Hat-trick Harbour," a campaign anthem celebrating his quest for a third consecutive victory. The minister waved energetically to the crowd, pausing briefly to make quick appeals for votes, surrounded by a tight circle of loyal organisers who have spent decades nurturing his booth-level network in one of the DMK's cherished urban strongholds.
Intimate Appeals and Voter Concerns in a Compact Constituency
When the convoy ventured into the interior lanes, weaving past modest homes, small shops, parked two-wheelers, and sagging overhead wires, Sekarbabu's approach softened. Elderly residents greeted him by name, some cupping his cheeks in gratitude for past favours, while others slipped fresh requests into his hands. In this small constituency of just over 1.1 lakh voters, such personal intimacy is his key advantage. First-time voters pressed him on job opportunities, and others inquired about the impact of Chennai Port's modernisation on daily wage earners. Sekarbabu assured them that reforms would not eliminate livelihoods, highlighting the DMK government's welfare initiatives, including free bus travel for women, expanded health insurance, and housing upgrades.
A Political Journey from AIADMK to DMK Leadership
Sekarbabu's political trajectory is marked by significant shifts. He served two consecutive terms as AIADMK's RK Nagar MLA starting in 2001 before crossing over to the DMK in 2011. That year, he contested from RK Nagar but lost to AIADMK's Vetrivel. In the same election, the AIADMK also captured the Harbour seat, ending the DMK's uninterrupted hold since 1977. However, in 2016, Sekarbabu reclaimed Harbour with a margin of 4,836 votes, and five years later, he expanded that margin to 27,274, earning a place in the council of ministers.
Harbour's Legacy as a DMK Bastion
Within the DMK, Harbour is synonymous with a safe seat. After sitting out the 1984 election, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi contested from Harbour in 1989, winning by 31,991 votes and reclaiming the chief minister's office. In 1991, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur, the AIADMK-Congress alliance swept 225 of 234 seats, but Karunanidhi narrowly survived in Harbour by just 890 votes. He and Parithi Elamvazhuthi from Egmore were the only two DMK legislators in the Assembly at that time. Karunanidhi later resigned, yet the DMK retained Harbour in the byelection. Subsequently, long-time DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan secured a series of victories here, including a razor-thin margin of 410 votes in 2006.
Opposition Challenges and Local Issues
At a recent street-corner meeting, Sekarbabu climbed onto a low metal stage alongside CPM state secretary P Shanmugam, framing his campaign as a mission to "serve people and offer governance." Traders gathered around him raised practical concerns such as traffic congestion, fire hazards, and flooding. He offered reassurances that pending civil works would advance after the polls. However, his opponents are striving to highlight gaps between promises and delivery. Royapuram R Mano of the AIADMK, a veteran north Chennai organiser making his first Assembly bid, criticises Sekarbabu for Harbour's persistent problems: choked drains, sewage on streets, garbage mounds, and what he describes as entrenched corruption. Mano believes that in such a compact seat, even a minor swing or local issue could sway the outcome.
New Entrants and Voter Sentiments
For new candidates like TVK's Sinora P S Ashok, formerly a prominent Rajinikanth fan club functionary, the challenge lies in the constituency's small voter base, which offers limited new votes to attract. As the night deepened and loudspeakers fell silent, Shahera Begum, observing from a narrow lane, voiced a poignant question: "Can this city's growth make room for us instead of pushing us out?" This sentiment underscores the broader tensions between development and displacement in urban Chennai.
