Trichy: There is no physical boundary that separates the Trichy East and Trichy West Assembly constituencies, both urbanized segments in Trichy city. However, on polling day, what distinguished the two constituencies was the density of TVK cadres moving and supervising the polling booths.
TVK's Varied Presence
While TVK was largely inactive in Trichy West, the party mounted a strong show in Trichy East, where their leader actor-politician Joseph Vijay is contesting. Polling booths in areas like Varaganeri near Gandhi Market and Marakkadai near Palakkarai featured help desks of TVK, comprising both men and women, which guided voters to locate their polling booths. The help desks also indirectly persuaded voters to support the actor.
Campaign Efforts
"For the past two weeks, we campaigned intensively in Jeeva Nagar area near the old Ramakrishna Theatre. Besides our relatives, we convinced our neighbours to vote for a change and give our leader an opportunity to represent Trichy East voters," said S Kesavan, a TVK cadre from Palakkarai.
Surprise for Dravidian Parties
The presence of female polling booth agents and women at help desks close to the DMK and AIADMK help desks surprised the two major Dravidian parties. "We feel that the TVK cadres were trained earlier in supervising a polling booth. They were enthusiastic. Though we are confident of winning, the margin could be very thin," a DMK booth agent said.
Impact of Common Attire
The common attire of TVK supporters—white shirts and beige trousers—also had an impact in many polling booths, creating a visual presence that reinforced their campaign.
