STAR WARS in Mylapore

With the elections in mind, Rediff.com has launched Citizen Election Reporter, through which citizens can share their views on the elections in the states that go to polls. Here's a piece I submitted today:

The quiet, residential locality of Mylapore is steeped in the history of Chennai. Mentions of Mylapore bring to mind the majestic Kapaleeswara temple, the famous Chitrakulam tank, the Santhome Church which is close by, and even the Dabba Chetty Stores, which is part of the city's heritage.

Mylapore will witness a star-studded fight in the upcoming elections. The ADMK has fielded S.Ve. Sekar, the veteran comedian, who has ruled the Tamil drama scene with his popular dramas. The DMK has allotted the constituency to Napoleon, the lanky hero who now represents the Villivakkam constituency (also in Chennai).

Chennai has traditionally been a bastion of the DMK, but S.Ve. Sekar will be hoping to buck that trend in these elections. Two factors are in his favour. Firstly, S.Ve. Sekar needs no introduction at all. The same goes for Napoleon too, but the former is definitely the more popular of the two. Secondly, Mylapore is a predominantly Hindu residential area, so S.Ve. Sekar should be able to cash in on the Hindu vote.

Also, the voters in Mylapore might wonder why Napoleon has been shifted from the Villivakkam constituency to their's. Indeed, there are some rumours floating around that Napoleon is not very popular in his current constituency, and his chances of re-election from there are not bright. However, he is known to be a fiery speaker, and can woo the masses. On the contrary, S.Ve. Sekar laces comedy even into his election speeches.

Whoever wins, Mylapore will be one of the constituencies to watch. The stars are in action, and it is heating up!

[Update] CNN-IBN video [Thanks Kaps for the information]

Bhagyaraj joins DMK

"In a rude jolt to the ruling AIADMK, popular Tamil film actor and director K Bhagyaraj, a die-hard MGR admirer, today met DMK president M Karunanidhi at Anna Arivalayam along with office-bearers of his fans' association and decided to join the DMK. They pledged to campaign for the DMK-led DPA in the coming Assembly elections as AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa had "sidelined MGR loyalists". Bhagyaraj is quite popular in the western and southern belts of Tamil Nadu and both his movies and TV shows have been well received, particularly by women. The DMK move to rope in Bhagyaraj is aimed at making a dent in the AIADMK vote-bank and wean away MGR loyalists, most of whom have been ignored in the ticket distribution for the Assembly elections. Though Bhagyaraj is seen more as a director these days, he continues to have his own sphere of influence as one of the best exponents of screenplay in the Indian film industry."

Source: Chennai Online