Mixed response to Ramnad Lok Sabha seat given to IUML in DMK alliance

RAMESWARAM: While the sitting MP of the sprawling Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency in Southwest Tamil Nadu is Anwar Raja of the AIADMK, a devout Muslim, the DMK allocating the seat for the April 18 Lok Sabha polls this year to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), has evoked a mixed reaction from voters in this segment.

Even as the IUML, after the DMK’s announcement of seats shared with its allies, promptly declared that it was fielding a local businessman Nawazghani, a section of the voters in this constituency which spans three districts of Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai and Virudhunagar, have apprehensions of possible polarisation of the voters on religious lines this time.

This is in the wake of the main political parties in recent years, including the DMK and AIADMK, supporting or fielding Muslim candidates for the Ramanathapuram seat, though Hindus form a huge chunk of the voters. Added to this, Ramanathapuram is considered the ‘gateway’ to the pilgrim island of Rameswaram, to which devotees from all parts of the country throng all through the year.

After the delimitation exercise (redrawing of constituency boundaries), Ramanathapuram parliamentary constituency comprises the Assembly segments of Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi, Mudukulathur, Tiruvadanai, besides Aranthangi in Pudukkottai district and Arupukkottai in Virdhunagar district.

Historically, this constituency has elected both Hindu and Muslim candidates, but the charge of religious bias has cropped up after the delimitation of electoral constituencies in 2009. While in 1952, 1957 and 1962 Parliament elections, Nagappa Chettiar, Subbiah Ambalam and Arunachalam, all representing the Congress party were elected in those respective years, it was in the 1967 Lok Sabha polls, that the DMK-backed Muslim candidate, Mohammed Sharif had won.

In the subsequent, the Ramanathapuram constituency had elected Forward Bloc leader P.K Mookaiyah Thevar (1971), AIADMK’s Anbazhagan (1977), DMK’s Sathyendran (1980), Congress candidate Rajeshwaran elected for three consecutive terms in 1984, 1989 and 1991, followed by Udayappan of TMC (1996), AIADMK’s former Treasurer S. Sathyamoorthy (1998), AIADMK’s K Malaisamy (1999), Bhavani Rajendran of the DMK (2004), and actor K.J Ritheesh of the DMK in 2009.

However, since the election of Mr. Anwar Raja of the AIADMK in 2014 Lok Sabha poll and 2016 Assembly elections, a section of the electorate have begun to voice concerns over the ‘changing voters profile’ of the constituency post-delimitation.

It is in this backdrop that some mixed reactions have now come up to the IUML announcing its candidate for the 2019 LS polls. Janab Bhai of Rameswaram says, “since 1967 elections, after 52 years this constituency has been allotted to IUML in the DMK-led front.” “As the main poll plank in this election is the establishment of a secular, progressive government at the Centre, it does not matter to which caste or religion the candidate belongs; the IUML nominee as a candidate of the secular alliance has a good chance of making it this time,” added Janab Bhai.

Another voter, Madheena of Rameswaram, rejected perceptions of the IUML being a ‘communal party’, saying it has been playing a role in the country’s politics for nearly 100 years and working for the nation’s development, beyond caste and religious considerations. “The IUML, as part of the DMK-led alliance is only fighting the anti-people policies of the Central and State governments and we will work for its candidate to win from Ramand,” added Madheena.

Nonetheless, voters like M S Arul of Pamban and Prabhakaran of Rameswaram, say that only political parties which articulate the interests of the fishermen community here will get their support in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. They also resented the mainstream parties approach of late to field Muslim candidates from Ramnad, saying it was part of the alleged efforts to “change the profile” of this constituency.