Amidst the picturesque landscapes of the Western Ghats, the constituency of Nilgiris, home to the renowned hill station of Ooty, is experiencing heightened political activity as campaigning intensifies.
Nilgiris, characterised by its verdant tea estates and majestic hills of the Western Ghats, is primarily reliant on its thriving tourism industry. However, despite its natural beauty, the region grapples with numerous environmental challenges.
The constituency, which includes Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Gudalur, Avanashi, Bhavanisagar, and Mettupalayam assembly segments, has a total of 14.28 lakh eligible voters across 1,619 polling booths. Due to its hilly terrain, landslides frequently disrupt vehicular traffic and cause soil erosion, especially during the monsoon season.
The local population, predominantly comprised of Scheduled Tribes, are primarily employed in tea estates or engage in agriculture, cultivating crops like cabbage, spices, carrots, and other vegetables suited to the region’s temperate climate. However, the lack of proper sewage and waste disposal infrastructure has led to widespread pollution of rivers and water bodies.
Additionally, the encroachment and concretisation of protected hill terrains, coupled with the heavy influx of tourists year-round, contribute to environmental degradation. The increasing encroachment into forest lands for farming purposes has also led to conflicts between humans and wildlife.
BJP has fielded Union Minister of State for Fisheries, information, and Broadcasting L Murugan, who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. DMK has re-nominated sitting MP A Raja, known for Hindu-phobic and sanatana dharma comments. He was defeated in 2014 following the exposure of the 2G scam and his subsequent arrest along with Kanimozhi and others.
AIADMK’s candidate Lokesh TAmilselvan and NTK’s A Jayakumar are also in the fray, making it a multi-cornered contest. Candidates are trying hard to win the support of plantation, construction workers, and Badagas tribes ( the largest ethno-linguistic group in the district). There was a shift of voting in the 2021 assembly elections, wherein R Gandhi of Congress defeated M Bhojarajn of BJHP by only a few thousand votes. Murugan, a native of Namakkal district, has been visiting the constituency often and nurturing to make a good harvest. He has a solid support base. He goes around the constituency by highlighting the achievements of PM Modi-led NDA Government, particularly to the SC and STs.
Murugan consistently criticises his opponent, Raja, for his anti-Hindu rhetoric, promising voters a transformation of the constituency with infrastructure development and job opportunities despite its ecological fragility. He highlights the DMK’s alleged anti-Hindu stance, corruption, and failure to fulfill promises made during the 2021 assembly elections. Despite significant investments, areas like Mettupalayam still lack basic infrastructure such as piped drinking water, and colonies like AD Colony suffer from inadequate drainage systems. Contamination of water sources, as evidenced by high levels of faecal coliform bacteria in the Bhavani River, poses health risks to residents, underscoring the urgent need for improved sanitation measures.
Amidst a notable shift in rhetoric, the DMK candidate has altered his stance, now presenting himself as a devout Hindu, a departure from his previous positions. Despite being under DMK leadership, constituents voice grievances about unaddressed issues and unfulfilled promises. Despite this, the DMK candidate remains optimistic, relying on the party’s alliance strength and financial resources for victory.
The candidacy of Tamilselvan from AIADMK introduces another dimension, potentially dividing votes with the party’s widely recognised two-leaf symbol and riding on the anti-incumbency sentiment. Local residents emphasise the need for concrete assurances from candidates regarding critical issues such as support for the tea industry, agricultural assistance, sustainable tourism initiatives, and infrastructure development, demanding solid commitments to earn their votes. However, field reports suggest a slim lead for the BJP candidate, hinting at a potential shift in the constituency’s political landscape.
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