At Delhi’s ‘Madrasi camp’, a Tamil electoral battle is playing out in miniature

In the thoroughfare that runs through the settlement you can find the first trace of political affiliations. It’s not Aam Aadmi Party or the BJP, but a banner of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa atop a small kiosk.

“Around 500 people have gone to vote and bring Amma back to power. She is our only hope in Tamil Nadu. Her schemes to uplift the impoverished made a great deal of change to people’s lives there. The Amma Canteen, water, cement, salt… She hasn’t left any stone unturned to help the poor and even Dalits like me,” says Arun, slowly crushing tobacco leaves in his palms. Arun is a contract worker who has lived here since childhood.

He claims the entire settlement will vote for Jayalalithaa if they had been in Tamil Nadu. “We don’t have any political leaning to any national party, at least not anymore.”

BJP is expecting to open an account in Tamil Nadu this time, but the settlement doesn’t think so. “The BJP will never have any role in Tamil Nadu. I have my voting rights from Delhi. We all voted for Kejriwal last year. He, at least, has some agenda in mind. We will never vote for BJP anywhere,” Arun adds.

Some in the settlement feel there will be a close contest in Tamil Nadu. “I know Amma will come this time, but there will be a major cut in her vote share. It will be a close contest with the DMK. Most of our friends and relatives went from here for voting. They were given Rs 500 and a one-way ticket to Chennai,” says S Shekhar who works in the railways. By the way, he is a die-hard fan of former Tamil Nadu CM and AIADMK founder MGR.

But some in the camp believe there could be more to this election. “I know Jaya might enjoy a majority, but my choice is Anbumani Ramadoss. All the educated and literate will vote for PMK this time. He is the only educated man who is leading a party in Tamil Nadu. In fact, the coming generation will surely change their voting strategy to bring him to power,” says a kiosk owner Armugam. He admits “only 15 to 20 votes” will go to PMK from this settlement.

Even the exit polls say there will be a close contest between the AIADMK and DMK in Tamil Nadu.

Despite the excitement, whichever party comes into power nothing much is going to change in Madrasi camp.

“After 40 years we are getting a shauchalay (toilet) for our camp. There is garbage everywhere and there is an increasing mosquito menace here. We just get two tankers of water every day and the drainage system is so bad it leads to puddles everywhere,” says Arun, the disappointment writ on his face.

Toilet being built in the camp after 40 years in the camp. (Source: Express photo by Krishna Vamsi)

He stands and puts ground tobacco in his lower lips, folds his lungi to his knees and pats my back.

“Keeping visiting the camp brother,” he says as he heads back to deal with his customers.