Pic courtesy: P Anand Kumar
By Gokul Vannan
Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on March 16, 2011:
SOME voters of Perambur constituency in Chennai are angry as the free colour TV sets never reached their homes. Also, they are perturbed over the ever-increasing price rise, but still they won't mind voting for the sitting MLA in the coming elections.It is not just because K Mahendran, the MLA, belongs to the CPM, but because he has established a personal rapport with the people.
That the CPM, which won the Perambur seat as an ally of the DMK in 2006, is now in the Opposition camp has as such given an edge to any candidate who might be fielded by AIADMK-led front for the April 13 elections.
The people openly say Mahendran is better than their earlier MLAs. Popular in view of his simplicity he goes around the constituency in a motorcyle Mahendran lends his ears to every grievance.
"We have to just a call him on the mobile, he will be there on the spot within next 15 minutes," says K Rajendran, a painter from Kakanji Nagar, adding that most residents in the locality have the MLA's mobile number.
Naming the earlier DMK MLAs of the constitency, Rajendran says that none visited them.
A 60-year-old vegetable seller, Malika, says that five years ago the locality used to witness at least two murders every month and adds that things had changed now. Mahendran is known to drop in at tea shops and have a cuppa with workers. "
He visits this tea shop at least once in a day and chat with us" says Parthasarathi, a daily wage labourer of Sharma Nagar. The tea shop owner Kumar says that the MLA will insist on paying for the tea even if he refused to take money.
It is that personal touch that Mahendran had brought to his job as MLA that has endeared him to a cross-section of people. He makes the people feel that he is part of their family by attending functions in their homes.
"He will be there without fail at every funeral," says Sekar of BV Colony.
So people have developed a liking for him cutting across party affiliations. "I am a traditional DMK voter, but Mahendran stands above party politics," says R Mohan, a retired co-operative staff.
That the CPM, which won the Perambur seat as an ally of the DMK in 2006, is now in the Opposition camp has as such given an edge to any candidate who might be fielded by AIADMK-led front for the April 13 elections.
The people openly say Mahendran is better than their earlier MLAs. Popular in view of his simplicity he goes around the constituency in a motorcyle Mahendran lends his ears to every grievance.
"We have to just a call him on the mobile, he will be there on the spot within next 15 minutes," says K Rajendran, a painter from Kakanji Nagar, adding that most residents in the locality have the MLA's mobile number.
Naming the earlier DMK MLAs of the constitency, Rajendran says that none visited them.
A 60-year-old vegetable seller, Malika, says that five years ago the locality used to witness at least two murders every month and adds that things had changed now. Mahendran is known to drop in at tea shops and have a cuppa with workers. "
He visits this tea shop at least once in a day and chat with us" says Parthasarathi, a daily wage labourer of Sharma Nagar. The tea shop owner Kumar says that the MLA will insist on paying for the tea even if he refused to take money.
It is that personal touch that Mahendran had brought to his job as MLA that has endeared him to a cross-section of people. He makes the people feel that he is part of their family by attending functions in their homes.
"He will be there without fail at every funeral," says Sekar of BV Colony.
So people have developed a liking for him cutting across party affiliations. "I am a traditional DMK voter, but Mahendran stands above party politics," says R Mohan, a retired co-operative staff.
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