Udhagamandalam: Former Union telecom minister A Raja filed his nomination papers because the DMK candidate for the Nilgiris Lok Sabha seat right here on Monday. With this, all of the main political parties have filed their nominations for the seat. However, the ballot mood is but to set in - while candidates are busy accomplishing party-level meetings, they're but to be observed at public places, in quest of votes.
The Nilgiris parliament constituency, which contains six assembly seats of Mettupalayam, Avinashi, Bhavanisagar, Coonoor, Ooty and Gudalur, was once classified as ‘reserved’ within the 2009 delimitation workout.
Badagas, the most important neighborhood within the Nilgiris, had been to begin with unsatisfied with the ‘reserved’ tag. They had approached the Union government in this regard, but in vain. Their long-pending call for for ST status has also no longer yeilded any sure response.
Though Badagas constitute multiple third of the population, they don't seem to be entitled to contest the polls. Experts say the mood of Badagas, most of them small tea farmers, could be a deciding factor within the election.
While other contestants are strangers to the hill town, the one acquainted candidate is Raja, who gained the 2009 polls from the constituency and lost the 2014 election. Raja filed his nomination after providing prayers at the ‘Ethai’ temple at Beragani near Kotagiri.
The AIADMK has pitted M Thyagarajan, 59, former Pollachi MP, towards Raja. MNM and AMMK have also fielded their candidates, who're from the plains.
The Nilgiris parliament constituency, which contains six assembly seats of Mettupalayam, Avinashi, Bhavanisagar, Coonoor, Ooty and Gudalur, was once classified as ‘reserved’ within the 2009 delimitation workout.
Badagas, the most important neighborhood within the Nilgiris, had been to begin with unsatisfied with the ‘reserved’ tag. They had approached the Union government in this regard, but in vain. Their long-pending call for for ST status has also no longer yeilded any sure response.
Though Badagas constitute multiple third of the population, they don't seem to be entitled to contest the polls. Experts say the mood of Badagas, most of them small tea farmers, could be a deciding factor within the election.
While other contestants are strangers to the hill town, the one acquainted candidate is Raja, who gained the 2009 polls from the constituency and lost the 2014 election. Raja filed his nomination after providing prayers at the ‘Ethai’ temple at Beragani near Kotagiri.
The AIADMK has pitted M Thyagarajan, 59, former Pollachi MP, towards Raja. MNM and AMMK have also fielded their candidates, who're from the plains.
Ooty: Poll mood yet to set in
![Ooty: Poll mood yet to set in]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
March 26, 2019
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