Will the ‘King of Katpadi’ manage to keep territory under his control?

It won’t be too much to call DMK general secretary Durai Murugan ‘the King of Katpadi’, as the people of the constituency had sent him seven times as their representative to the Assembly from 1971.

Not just Katpadi, the DMK veteran is a well-known face in the entire district and proof to this fact is that he had also won twice from Ranipet, a neighbouring Assembly segment.

While his popularity is unmatched in the constituency and district, the same has become the cause for disenchantment among partymen. Many cadre and functionaries are cursing their fate as Durai Murugan has made Katpadi a ‘strong & safe’ wicket for himself for decades, not giving a chance to anybody.

This feeling has intensified after the entry of heavyweight’s son DM Kathir Anand, who is now the MP representing Vellore LS segment. Voices are heard within the party, “how long will one family alone get priority in election tickets.”

While the DMK veteran has won the praise of the public for the development works in the constituency, handling of cadre that is not redressing their grievances is another complaint against him in the local unit. Despite all these, one party insider on anonymity said, “the sitting MLA is well aware that the cadre pushing aside all these issues will work hard and ensure his victory.”

This election too, if the AIADMK fields a weak candidate or gives the seat to PMK, Duraimurugan’s prospects may be bright, says an old-timer from the constituency.

Present Vellore urban district secretary of the AIADMK SRK Appu lost twice to Durai Murugan in 2011 and 2016. Not bogged down by the consecutive debacles, he has again sought a ticket to contest from Katpadi. Appu has also sought ticket for the Vellore assembly seat, which is a pocket with heavy concentration of Mudaliars, to which caste he belongs. If Appu is given the Vellore ticket, Ramu, Vellore central cooperative bank chairman, who is also an AIADMK senior functionary, may contest from Katpadi. Ramu, who is a Naidu, may try this option as there is a strong presence of his caste in 41 village panchayats, Tiruvalam town panchayat and many wards in Katpadi.