Congress and BJP square off in Tamil Nadu’s battle to retain Vilavancode
With the departure of three-time consecutive Congress MLA S Vijayadharani, who joined the BJP in February, the Vilavancode assembly seat is preparing for a bypoll, adding an interesting layer of political fabric to the area amid the intense tapestry of Lok Sabha elections.
The seat was created in 1952 and was a part of the Travancore-Cochin assembly. It is located in the western portion of the Kanniyakumari district and borders Kerala. In 1957, it was a part of Madras State, and in 1971, Tamil Nadu. Kuzhithurai municipality, the assembly’s primary town, is home to Arumanai, Kaliyakkavilai, Unnamalaikadai, and Kadayal, among other towns. Congress and CPM have historically dominated this assembly, with the Dravidian giants having minimal influence.
As a bastion of the Congress, the CPM experienced triumph in the area in 2006. S Vijayadharani, the Congress candidate, led the polls in both the 2011 and 2016 elections. In 2021, she carried on winning when the DMK coalition, which included CPM, was formed.
Even though R Jayaseelan, the BJP-AIADMK’s candidate, fought a fierce campaign, Vijayadharani prevailed by a margin of 28,669 votes.
The area finds itself at a political crossroads once again after Vijayadharani joined the BJP. She is actively supporting Arumanai resident VS Nandhini, a member of the Hindu Nair community, as the party’s candidate. Tharahai Cuthbert, a 47-year-old state general secretary, is the candidate put out by the Congress. This RC Fishers native, originally from Enayam, has a PhD and has worked as a college instructor. The AIADMK’s candidate is U Rani (46), a resident of Nagercoil and a follower of the Christian Nadar community.
She oversees a charity trust as its managing trustee. The concerns ranging from the decline in rubber prices to the purported disregard for tribal communities are becoming the talk of the town as the election fever spreads across the constituency, which contains the Chittar dam, rubber fields, and tribal towns.
