Selling vegetables to riding autorickshaws: Candidates walk the extra mile to garner votes in Vellore, nearby districts

AIADMK candidate for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency S. Pasupathi campaigns by driving an auto rickshaw near Ambur town in Tirupattur on Saturday

AIADMK candidate for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency S. Pasupathi campaigns by driving an auto rickshaw near Ambur town in Tirupattur on Saturday

Candidates, including those from major political parties like AIADMK and PMK , are grabbing eye-balls with their campaign ideas in reaching out to common voters in Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, and Tirupattur districts for the past few days.

AIADMK candidate for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, S. Pasupathi’s campaign literally made people stop and watch when he drove an auto rickshaw on the streets of Periyakuppam village near Ambur town on Saturday.

A doctor by profession, Mr. Pasupathi drove the vehicle for around 100 metre before he made tea in a roadside shop for people around there. A few days ago, he visited a farmer’s market in Gudiyatham town near Vellore where he sat on a stool and sold vegetables including bitter gourd and tomatoes. Pasupathi later met farmers in the market and promised that new schemes for traders will be implemented if the AIADMK wins in the elections. He also made note of their grievances.

In Arani Lok Sabha constituency, PMK candidate A. Ganesh Kumar swept a few streets in Vettiyantholuvam village near Arani town along with sanitary workers of the village panchayat on Saturday. As PMK is an ally of the BJP in the Lok Sabha election, Mr. Kumar decided to take Swachh Bharat Mission, largest sanitation initiative in the country driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to reach out to voters in the area.

PMK candidate A. Ganesh Kumar sweeps a few streets in Vettiyantholuvam village near Arani town along with sanitary workers.

PMK candidate A. Ganesh Kumar sweeps a few streets in Vettiyantholuvam village near Arani town along with sanitary workers.

Candidates also targeted different sections of voters. In Vandavasi town, AIADMK candidate for Arani constituency G.V. Gajendran stopped his car after seeing a group of women farmers, who were sowing paddy seeds in the field. He took some of the paddy seeds from them and sowed them in the field with much cheer from women farmers.

Another innovative campaign was that of Minister for Minorities Welfare and Non Resident Tamils Welfare Gingee K.S. Masthan as he made tea and vada in a tea shop at Mailam village near Tindivanam that comes under Arani Lok Sabha constituency as part of election campaign for DMK candidate M. S. Dharani Vendhan.

Meanwhile, actor-turned-politician Mansoor Ali Khan, who is contesting as an independent candidate for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, sold fish at the old fish market and vegetables in Vellore town.

On Good Friday, DMK MP for Vellore DM Kathir Anand, who is contesting again, walked into a local church in Ambur and sought votes from people in the church.