It is a virtual frenzy on the coastal stretch of Kanyakumari as fishermen gear up to receive Congress candidate Vijayakumar alias Vijay Vasanth. Vijay is late by four hours. But the crowd is patient though the sea breeze fails to ease the sweltering heat. Charged-up youngsters vroom on their bikes from one end to another as Congress flags flutter in the breeze.
Vijay Vasanth, the sitting MP who won the 2021 by-election in Kanyakumari after his entrepreneur father H Vasanthakumar died in August 2020, is facing BJP veteran Pon Radhakrishnan, called ‘Ponnar’ by locals, who won the 1999 and 2014 LS polls on a BJP ticket and was MoS (shipping) in Modi’s first govt.
For a topographically small constituency, Kanyakumari is densely populated, with the sea on the south and west, and hills on the north and east. The district has vibrant agriculture with paddy, plantain, rubber and cashew crops. The constituency is unique in TN as the majority are Christians, including Nadars of Catholic and Protestant denominations. The fisherfolk are mostly Catholic or Muslim.
Hindus are predominantly Nadars, Nairs, Pillais and Dalits and a small tribal community. Thanks to the Mandaikadu communal riots in 1982, the district stayed polarised.
With Kanyakumari sharing the weather pattern of Kerala, summer means festival time for temples. Located a few km from the shore, the temples are decked up with BJP flags. “Ponnar enjoys significant loyalty among Hindu voters here. He had also ensured important projects like Marthandam flyover and fourlane projects for the district,” says S Shanmugham from Parvathipuram, a Hindu-dom inant village near the coast.
But some ambitious projects initiated by Ponnar had earned the ire of fisherfolk. “We had to protest every day to stop the Enayam trans-shipment harbour proposed by him. We have stomachs to feed, we can’t go through that nightmare again,” says M Anto, a fisherman at Inayamputhenthurai. They fear that the project would displace them.
With these factors, Congress candidate Vijay Vasanth should have a fair chance, but there is a catch. ADMK has fielded a candidate from fisher community, Pasilian Nazareth. “He won’t win but he’ll divide the fisher community votes,” says a Muslim shop owner at Thengapattinam.
Maria Jennifer, a Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate who is campaigning in the Colachel area, hails from fisher community as well. Jennifer and her followers are raking up the issue of Kanyakumari’s blue metal being mined for the Vizhinjam harbour project in Kerala, a simmering issue in the district.
With two other candidates fishing for votes along the coast, the battle gets tougher for Vijay and makes it easier for Ponnar. Nevertheless, Congress has used a trump card to woo the coastal voters. After six decades, it has given an assembly seat to a candidate from the fisher community. Tharahai Cuthbert has been given the ticket to contest the Vilavancode assembly by-election, also scheduled for April 19. The constituency fell vacant after Vijayadharini switched loyalties to BJP.
Vilavancode is a Congress fort. “Resident or outsider, it does not matter. Anyone fielded by Congress will win here,” says N Shashi, a farmer from the constituency. Cuthbert is campaigning hard in the remote hilly assembly seat. “I know I have just two years and I am not making unrealistic promises. My focus is decent roads and bus connectivity,” she told TOI. A long-time resident of Marthandam and a Youth Congress member, Cuthbert does not feel like an outsider at Vilavancode.
The enthusiasm among fisherfolk is rooted in this arithmetic. Cuthbert also hails from the family of Lourdammal Simon, who was fisheries minister in K Kamaraj govt and is held in high esteem.
For a long time, ADMK had enjoyed popularity among fisherfolk here but the DMK functionaries among them are working hard to send the message that “we are supporting Vijay because of Tharahai”.
Fishermen T Charlie and Mohan Raj from Keelamanakudi are convinced they should support Congress. “It was fine as long as MGR and Amma were there. How can we trust that EPS won’t side with BJP after winning?” they ask.
Vijay Vasanth is confident. “An anti-Modi wave is very tangible. Kanyakumari goes by national politics and voters here are upset with BJP,” he said. His father Vasanthakumar had big plans for the constituency, like an airport, tourism development and air ambulance for fishermen. “I will work to fulfill all these promises,” said Vijay.