Dayanidhi Maran is seeking reelection from Chennai Central, where he made his debut in 2004 as a DMK candidate and heir apparent to former commerce minister the late Murasoli Maran.
At 42, Dayanidhi Maran is seeking reelection from Chennai Central, where he made his debut in 2004 as a DMK candidate and heir apparent to former commerce minister the late Murasoli Maran, a close confidant of DMK chief and Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi. As grandnephew of Karunanidhi, he was seen as the DMK’s face in Delhi post the 2004 election, till a family feud cost him his IT ministry. After six months, the families patched up and Dayanidhi was back by the side of his granduncle.
The charming DMK leader is seen as a surefire winner, unless his opponent Mohammed Ali Jinnah of the AIADMK pulls out a magic wand and casts a spell on the electorate.
Dayanidhi takes credit for slashing cell phone call rates. In fact, it has become his pet theme which he parrots every election rally. “Ungal kai il watch ile nalum, cell irrukum (even if you don’t have a watch on your wrist, you have a cell in your hand),” he says.
Analysts believe he will have a cakewalk. “Jaya [AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa] initially chose SS Chandran, a comedian, but later replaced him with Jinnah. This works in favour of Maran as Jinnah is not a forceful speaker. Chandran would have raked up issues and made the electorate think,” they say.
Dayanidhi has shed the typical Dravidian attire of white dhoti and shirt and dons designer clothes, mostly a bush shirt tucked into matching dark trousers. This immediately connects him to the youth.
He hit the streets immediately after Karunanidhi launched the DMK-Congress coalition’s campaign at Tana Street, Puraswalkam, on April 18.
Dayanidhi begins his road show at 7 am before the sun starts beating down, takes a noon break and sets out again at 5 pm. Arriving at the start point in a silver-grey Tavera, he quickly jumps on to a waiting Magenta-coloured open Maruti Gypsy. It is a colourful procession of party cadres. He is welcomed with the traditional aarathi and honoured with shawls and a huge rose garland. A live band leads the procession, followed by a huge panel mounted on an open Tata LCV highlighting welfare schemes of Dr Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, such as rice at Re1 and free colour TVs. A black Maruti Omni with a generator in the passenger bay and four speakers of 1,000 MW each on the carrier blaring songs highlighting his achievements follows.
The procession stops at strategic points, and Dayanidhi addresses the gathering.
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