Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, places its faith in the “stars.”

The working class residents of Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency are not entirely content, despite the area being home to numerous industries that significantly contribute to the nation’s economy, such as matchbox, handlooms, offset printing presses, and cracker manufacturing facilities. These demands, which include a safe working environment and adequate wages, are still unmet.

With more than 8.9 lakh votes, the DMK and its allies control four assembly constituencies in the Virudhunagar district. In the meantime, the Madurai district’s other two assembly seats are controlled by the AIADMK. More than 6 lakh people have voted in it overall.

Manickam Tagore (48), the Congress candidate and the sitting MP, has won twice (2009 and 2019) and once (2014) in the three parliamentary elections that have been conducted in the seat since the delimitation. T Radhakrishnan, the late AIADMK candidate, has also won once.

The Congress party, which is fielding the current MP, Tagore, has been given a seat in the constituency by the governing DMK for this election. There were several rumors that the DMK would give a seat to its other partner, the MDMK, and field Durai Vaiko, the party’s senior secretary, before the seat distribution was formally announced.

Even though the electorate is dissatisfied with Tagore’s performance as the constituency’s MP after ten years, a number of factors, such as his membership in the community, the constituency’s largest vote base, his candidacy as an ally of the ruling party, and the backing of the two ministers, increase his chances of winning.

The constituency began receiving a lot of interest in the political sphere when two well-known candidates entered the race. NITI Aayog named Virudhunagar as one of the 112 aspirational districts in the nation, however the area has long-standing problems that need to be resolved. A few of them are Anaikuttam, which was unable to hold surplus water because to shutter leaks, and water shortages brought on by dam renovations. Roadway and rail infrastructure improvement is also much needed in the area.

Workers at the cracker facility in the area are concerned because of the periodic explosions. The region had over 190 cracker unit explosions between 2011 and 2023, resulting in the deaths of over 338 individuals. Kiliyampatti resident S Maheshpandi (33), who just lost his brother in a cracker explosion, stated, “The elected representatives are focused on earning money and not implementing their poll promises.” He remarked, “I don’t think the approaching election could bring any improvement in the people’s life, even though there are new MP candidates.

The assembly regions of Sattur, Virudhunagar, and Sivakasi provide 60% of the state’s matchstick output. The firm provides employment for over 5 lakh individuals, most of whom are migrant laborers from Assam, Bihar, Orissa, and Uttar Pradesh and are mostly women. However, sales of matchboxes have dropped by 50% as a result of the surge in lighter sales, and businesses were unable to pay workers for normal positions.

The voters also want a speedy completion of PM MITRA Park, which is thought to provide a work opportunity for the locals. It was suggested that the park be established at B Kumaralingapuram in order to stimulate the local economy and provide employment.

N Sathiyamoorthy, Joint Secretary of the Virudhunagar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, told TNIE that greater awareness-raising and advertising are needed to draw in more investors for the PM MITRA Park. He said that this industrial town has seen a large volume of heavy truck traffic in recent years as a result of logistical advancements. But the roads are inadequate, and the problem requires serious attention, he added.

The constituency has also expressed great worry about the delays in building AIIMS and giving Madurai airport international status. Despite operating for almost 60 years, the airport has not yet been granted this title. Airports that began operations after Madurai, however, were acknowledged as international airports; in fact, several of them were granted this designation even though they did not provide international flight services.