Coimbatore : The people of Coimbatore gave it’s debutant MP candidate from Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) a stunning start to his political career. When his candidature was announced on March 24, 2019 in the Codissia Grounds in Coimbatore most of the public in Coimbatore hardly knew him.
Coimbatore : The people of Coimbatore gave it’s debutant MP candidate from Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) a stunning start to his political career. When his candidature was announced on March 24, 2019 in the Codissia Grounds in Coimbatore most of the public in Coimbatore hardly knew him.
Coming from a successful entrepreneurial and farming background and a doctor by profession, barring a few hundred people, most of the city didn’t know who he was. So for a candidate who was practically 20-days old representing a party that was only 14-months old, the people of Coimbatore have given him a rousing reception.
While the contest was mainly construed between the major two alliances of DMK and BJP in Tamilnadu, Dr. Mahendran with his consistent campaign and appeal to voters had made serious inroads into the vote share of Coimbatore. He secured over 1,45,000 votes which is approximately 12% of the total votes. Right after the elections, it was evident that he was going to get a good vote share but no one knew how much.
Fuelled by young voters, neutral voters and also considerable votes from women of lower economic strata, Dr. Mahendran has a good base to build on. Speaking on this performance, Dr. Mahendran said “I’d like to thank all the people of Coimbatore for posing such great faith on me and our party as a credible alternative. I’d like to take the opportunity to wish all the winners and particularly Mr. PR Natarajan all the very best. We will consistently work with the people of Coimbatore throughout the next 5 years to ensure we make our elected representatives work for the betterment of our beloved city. Our work will continue whether we have won the mandate or not and I really look forward to working with the people for this.”
A good start is only half the battle and the coming days and years will show how the party and Dr. Mahendran transform from being alternatives into becoming established forces.