Karti Chidambaram has been managing home minister P Chidambaram’s campaign since 1996.
The difference is palpable. Unlike other Indian towns and cities, Karaikudi in Sivaganga, the constituency of home minister P Chidambaram, is devoid of loud campaigning.
Some say it reflects the confidence of the man who is set to win for the seventh consecutive time. But it does not mean the man is sitting quiet and taking it easy.
People in the region know his 38-year-old son Karti Chidambaram started the ground work long ago. He launched a massive inter-personal campaign about last year itself to ensure all is well for the senior Chidambaram in this election.
In the constituency, Karti is the face of P Chidambaram’s campaign. “As the home minister, my father is busy even during elections. So, it is difficult for him to focus completely on the election,” Karti said.
Some critics of Chidambaram say the union home minister would face a tough task in the election, as he has not nurtured his constituency. But his son has more than made up for this by visiting even remote villages to touch base with every voter. A young, computer-savvy team is available at the party office to ensure that the logistics support is provided without any hitch.
“Karti represents his father and the Congress in this constituency. He is approachable and patient. People might say what they want, but we know what sir [P Chidambaram] and Chinnaiah [Kartik] have done for this constituency,” a voter said.
A Congress worker said, “He [Karti] has been an active campaigner since 1996. But this time, he has shown great zeal by tirelessly travelling to interior villages to seek votes for his father.”
Karti, who completed his bachelors in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin and law from the Cambridge University, said he wanted to improve the status of the Congress in Tamil Nadu.
“I’m confident my father will win, but I’m not being complacent. At the same time, I want to restore the legacy of the Congress in Tamil Nadu where we are neither in power nor in the opposition. It is almost four decades since the Congress lost its face in Tamil Nadu. If the party base is strong, it will be easy for candidates to connect with the people. In the next 15 years, the Congress will become a major force in Tamil Nadu,” he remarked.
Many in the Congress believed PC would bargain hard for a ticket for his son. But now, it is becoming clear that Karti would love be the heir-apparent.
Asked whether he would like to be a minister when Rahul Gandhi becomes the prime minister, Karti said, “It is difficult to predict one’s political future. Rahul is a good friend of mine and we were in the same university. I don’t want to be in politics all my life. I maybe involved in politics for another 18 years. I expect to achieve my goals by then.”
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