Arjunan questions DMK's Balaji's Coimbatore shift, cites Karur anger

Coimbatore: AIADMK leader and sitting MLA from Coimbatore (North) Amman Arjunan hit out at rival Senthil Balaji questioning why the five-time winner from Karur was contesting from Coimbatore South this time and claimed it was because he had been exposed for not fulfilling his promises.

Arjunan entered the assembly from Coimbatore South in 2016 and retained a foothold in the city by winning Coimbatore North in 2021. He beat DMK's VM Shanmugasundaram by a margin of 4,001 votes. This time, he is pitted against DMK strongman Senthil Balaji, who happens to be an ex-AIADMK leader himself, and TVK's V Senthil Kumar in a high-profile contest for Coimbatore South.

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"He was having continuous success in Karur. So why did he need to come here?" he said. "Couldn't he have continued to serve the people from there? No, because now, even the people there have realised his true colours. The people of Coimbatore are well aware that he is currently out on bail... He approaches this entire process as a business venture. I rely on my hard work. Even if I lack material wealth, people will cast their votes for me because they trust me."

Balaji joined DMK in 2018 and is now being touted as the party's 'big bet' for the region as it looks to wrest power from the AIADMK fortress. The Coimbatore South seat has been represented by the AIADMK and BJP in the recent past and is set to witness a triangular fight between the Dravidian majors and actor Vijay's TVK.

Arjunan, however, exuded confidence that the AIADMK would retain its dominance in the Kongu belt and will sweep this election with around 190-200 seats owing to it being people-centric and one that prioritises law and order.

He said the fundamental difference between the two Dravidian parties was that the DMK believed in having a "money-cracy" (rule by money) while the AIADMK was a true "people's-cracy" or democracy.