Mixed bag: Hope, jubilation, despair fill Chennai’s streets

Fluctuating fortunes of the parties keep the cadre on their toes

May 20, 2016 12:00 am | Updated September 12, 2016 07:26 pm IST - CHENNAI:

Sullen Mood :A scene outside the Anna Arivalayam in Chennai where DMK cadre sat in despair over the Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2016 results on Thursday. —Photo: M. Vedhan.

Sullen Mood :A scene outside the Anna Arivalayam in Chennai where DMK cadre sat in despair over the Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2016 results on Thursday. —Photo: M. Vedhan.

The first signs of trouble came shortly before 10 a.m. on Thursday; AIADMK was leading in 124 seats. One of the women sitting on the tarmac in front of Anna Arivalayam broke down.

G.K.M. Krishnamoorthy walked up to her and asked to not cry: the cameras were watching. He began a speech about how Thalapathy had campaigned hard, how this should be about love and not money. At the end of it, he wept.

Those like Krishnamoorthy — who came from West Mambalam — kept their hopes up all morning at the DMK headquarters, refusing to read the writing on the wall.

Around the same time, the first big traffic snarl had begun to form on Lloyd’s Road in Royapettah.

A man carrying the party flag stood on the road outside the AIADMK headquarters, as if to redirect traffic, but was merely using the opportunity to wave at everyone.

Inside the premises, V.S. Manikandan knew he was in for a treat in the evening.

“I have been following Amma wherever she goes during elections the last 20 years. She will pay us all in the evening,” said the man wearing a shirt and trousers in the party green, along with a two-leaves-crown.

Manikandan, who had come down from Palani, introduced fellow travellers Vaniyambadi Jalal bhai, who had drawn the party’s symbol on his torso, and R. Rathnam, a former police constable from Salem, who holds up his left hand to show three stumps. Rathnam, impersonating MGR, said he sacrificed them for the victory of Jayalalithaa once.

Meanwhile, Anna Arivalayam remained defiant. DMK supporters huddled into a room watching Kalaignar TV, owned by party leaders. At around 10.30 AM, loud cheers broke out: the channel was saying that the AIADMK was leading only in 114 seats, while DMK lead in 95.

Holding on despite odds

Around the same time, the Election Commission’s eciresults.nic.in said the AIADMK led in 136 seats. Yet, those at Anna Arivalayam held on to what happened six months back on the day results of the Bihar Assembly elections were declared.

“This is going to be like Bihar, where results changed in half an hour,” muttered R. Sivakumar, who made the trip from Nagapattinam district. From then on, it resembled a T20 cricket game.

At one point, someone flipped channels to Sun News. It said that AIADMK had reached 120 seats, but no one in the room responded.

When it went back to Kalaignar again, it was the cause for another cheer: someone had misunderstood that the DMK was now leading in 100 seats. Leads for M. Karunanidhi and M.K. Stalin were greeted with slogans while news about Anbumani Ramadoss and Thol. Thirumavalavan’s fortunes were booed; Vijayakant was ignored.

At 11.30 a.m., Kalaignar TV said the DMK was leading in 96 seats and revised it to 98 twenty minutes later. The chase was on.

Around noon, the DMK reached a century — at least according to the channel — and the room erupted in joy. At one point, the DMK was shown to have leads in 105 seats, while AIADMK’s tally dropped to 113.

Lead kept changing

The ECI website maintained that the AIADMK had reached safety at the point and had leads in 132 seats.

That would be the peak, however: even as it said that the DMK touched 106, Kalaignar TV said the AIADMK had gone past simple majority and led in 125 seats.

“I think it’s a good thing that we crossed 100. Maybe, we will still improve. The Election Commission has not declared final results yet,” said Ramajayam, who lives in an ashram at Thiruvannamalai. Outside, Krishnamoorthy sat, slumped on a bike.

“Next time,” he said.

BJP and DMDK

Unlike the DMK, whose office brimmed with supporters even after the party’s loss was evident, the BJP and DMDK headquarters looked desolate. At BJP’s Kamalalayam in T. Nagar, there was sweet lassi for everyone: the party had clearly planned for more people and there were leftovers even after refills.

“The increase in vote share could be seen as the only positive for us. And Amma’s victory – she’s god-fearing, unlike her opponents, and that would be good for us in the next Lok Sabha elections. We were expecting to do well in about five constituencies and should have won Vedaranyam after Modiji’s rally there,” said a leader, speaking off the record. There was only one car outside the DMDK’s Koyembedu office. There were four men inside watching television and all looked worried. “Everyone is with our candidates and leaders,” said an individual, who refused to be identified. Then they switched off the television and went for lunch.

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