Poll mystery: Why is Tamil star Vijayakanth campaigning in Delhi?

New Delhi: On the last day of campaigning before the 2013 Delhi assembly election, GS Mani, came to Jamnagar house alone, to file his income tax return.

Mani is contesting the New Delhi constituency on a DMDK ticket. A Supreme Court lawyer, Mani drove his own car to the venue, with no processions or cheering squads. This was in stark contrast to the other candidates from his constituency, who were rushing around, trying to make a show of popular strength and swing undecided voters in last minute campaigns.

But Mani is not alone. This is the same scenario for the other 10 candidates from DMDK contesting the Delhi polls. Despite a few visits from party supremo Vijayakanth aka Captain, and a 15 lakh strong Tamil population, there is little to distinguish them from bewildered first time independent candidates.

The party claims that its only campaign agenda is to provide better civic amenities for the Tamil population in Delhi which is “mostly the working class”.

But this sudden projection of candidates and a few quick campaigns have failed to make any impact among its declared target voter base.

“I don’t even know who the DMDK candidate is here,” Says Jayanamma, a tea vendor from Kalakaji, which has a sizeable Tamil population in a few sporadically spread ghettos. Water can be a major issue in these slum clusters but the Aam Aadmi Party and opposition BJP have already been playing the development card since the beginning of their respective election campaigns.

In such a situation, getting popular support on these issues is an almost impossible job for the DMDK, which is not familiar with the landscape of the Delhi political scene.

One of the candidates of the party claims that they’re not only hoping for the exclusive support of the Tamil community, but the entire South Indian population in Delhi.

But he admits that his campaign rallies have at the most, topped 5,00o people. “My constituency doesn’t have a large Tamil population but in places with more Tamils, the turnout has touched even 5,000,” claims the candidate on condition of anonymity since his party has “a strict mandate of not speaking to the media”.

Other than the working class, a significant number of Tamils in Delhi comprise government workers and students.

And this section which is politically more aware and better informed are not convinced by the DMDK. “I heard Vijayakanth came here to campaign for his candidates. But he does not know what is going on here,” says Arun Prakash, a Delhiite of Tamil origin from Sarojini Nagar.

“This time, the election is very politicised and I don’t think his status of a film star turned politician is going to work here,” adds Arun, a management student.

This view resonates with most people who belong to the same socio-economic background. “Voting for DMDK in Delhi is not the same as voting for them in Tamil Nadu. This year the Delhi election is being fought over a few issues which are very significant. In an election like this there is no need to be parochial,” says a Tamil Central government employee who has been living in Delhi for more than two decades now.

But the curious question is what drove the party to field 11 candidates in an election, which has three clear front runners irony was that a candidate from Tamil Nadu’s chief opposition party has no significance in this heavyweight constituency already jostling for the popular vote.

The answer from one of the DMDK candidates is fairly candid. “If we win a few seats we can go for an alliance with the party that will form majority.”

But this offer is brushed aside by members from the BJP. Congress and AAP who are all highly sceptical that the party will be able to win even a single seat. “It will be a lot if they can manage to get around 3  percent of the vote share. How can one talk about an alliance in such a scenario?,” asks Alok Sharma, a spokesperson for Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

But the campaign in all likelihood, is not directed at Delhi at all. “They are not there (in Dellhi) to win or lose. They are trying to sell their ’noble’ agenda of developing the conditions of Tamils in Delhi to the vote bank in Tamil Nadu,” says a journalist cum political observer in Tamil Nadu.