Here, parties aren’t fishing for votes

CHENNAI: There is going to be a tsunami of votes in the coastal belt of Tamil Nadu, if the enthusiasm among the fishing community is any indication.

The relief and rehabilitation process post-December 2004 tsunami has brought the community in interaction with the district administration on a regular basis.

“Tsunami has had some unexpected positive consequences. Before the tragedy the fishermen were confined to their seaside habitations. The post-tsunami interactions have helped us build a rapport,” a senior official in Nagapattinam told DNA.

“I had been out in the sea on previous election days and never cared to vote. After tsunami, I realised that a lot of other people care for me. This time I will cast my vote,” says Kumaranandam, 32, of Devanampattinam village in Cuddalore.

“Usually the fisher folk are not very interested in elections. But recently, we were surprised at a large number of people from the fishing community approaching us for duplicate voter identity cards after the originals were washed away in tsunami,” says an official in Cuddalore.

More than 4,000 tsunami-hit families in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam have moved into permanent houses. On the political front, this promises electoral gain for the AIADMK in the tsunami- affected coastal belt.

“With many living in shelters, our woes aren’t over. We know Amma (Jayalalithaa) is doing something for us,” says Kamala of Sonakuppam village.