SIVAKASI, TAMILNADU, INDIA GENERAL ELECTIONS 2004 - POLLING AT SIVAKASI (10 MAY 2004)

For More information visit http://eci.gov.in/GE2004/pollupd/pc/states/S22/const35.htm

Poll Date: 10 May 2004
Counting of Vote: 13 May 2004
Electorate: 1313594
Men: 638259
Women: 675335

ELECTION RESULTS FOR SIVAKASI LOK SABHA - 2004

Position Candidate Party Symbol Total Votes Results

1 RAVICHANDRAN. A MDMK Top 469072 Won

2 KANNAN. P ADMK Two Leaves 304555 Runner-up

3 JEYASEELAN. S BSP Elephant 3847 Forfeited

4 DHEEPA VALENTINA. T JD(U) Arrow 27130 Forfeited

5 GANESAN. A IND Kite 2157 Forfeited

6 KANNAN. V IND Maize 779 Forfeited

7 SANKARAN. M IND Book 648 Forfeited

8 CHELLAPPA. K IND Hat 784 Forfeited

9 SETHURAJ. P IND Bat 825 Forfeited

10 DHASTHAGEER. M IND Car 901 Forfeited

11 THIAGARAJAN (ALIAS) YOGA NADAR. P I D IND Saw 1616 Forfeited

12 PITCHAI THEVAR. A IND Nagara 4085 Forfeited

13 MARIAPPAN. M I IND Camera 4088 Forfeited

14 VENKATESAN. K IND Television 10156 Forfeited

CANDIDATES LIST - CANDIDATES M=Male, F=Female

Ravichandran. A (M) - Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MDMK
Age: 38 Symbol: Top
Kannan. P (M) - All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ADMK
Age: 40 Symbol: Two Leaves
Jeyaseelan. S (M) - Bahujan Samaj Party BSP
Age: 44 Symbol: Elephant
Dheepa Valentina. T (F) - Janata Dal (United) JD (U)
Age: 35 Symbol: Arrow
Ganesan. A (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 50 Symbol: Kite
Kannan. V (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 35 Symbol: Maize
Sankaran. M (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 48 Symbol: Book
Chellappa. K (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 47 Symbol: Hat
Sethuraj. P (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 38 Symbol: Bat
Dhasthageer. M (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 52 Symbol: Car
Thiagarajan (Alias) Yoge Nadar. P I D (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 57 Symbol: Saw
Pitchai Thevar. A (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 48 Symbol: Nagara
Venkatesan. K (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 40 Symbol: Television
Mariappan. M I (M) - Independents Ind
Age: 51 Symbol: Camera

Karunanidhi seeks CEC's immediate intervention - 10 May 2004
Press Trust of India, Chennai

Condemning the reported attack on MDMK candidate Ravichandran in Sivakasi, DMK President M Karunanidhi on Monday sought the immediate intervention of the Election Commission in taking action against Tamil Nadu Minister Inbatamizhan.

In a telex message to Chief Election Commissioner, TS Krishnamurthy, the DMK chief said 'it is shocking to learn that the DPA candidate of Sivakasi, Ravichandran, sponsored by the MDMK, was shot at today by Inbathamizhan'.

Ravichandran had a 'very narrow' escape from the 'murderous attack' while he was going around his constituency inspecting the booths. The attack took place in front of the villagers of Venkatachalapuram, 'who would stand testimony to the entire episode', he said.

"I understand that no appreciable action has been taken by the state police to arrest the minister who attempted to murder the opposition candidate," Karunanidhi said pleading for immediate intervention.

He sent a copy of the telex message to the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu.

The Secretary of the Tamil Nadu unit of the CPI(M), N Varadharajan, in a statement, condemned the incident and demanded not only the arrest of the minister, Inbatamizhan, but also his sacking from the AIADMK ministry.

He also demanded an enquiry into the omission and deletion of 'lakhs of voters' from the lists in several places in the state. "These deletions are pre-planned" as these deletions related to government employees, teachers and their family members, he added.

Election Commission should order an enquiry and take suitable action against the officials who erred.

AIADMK candidate, TN Minister injured - 10th May 2004
Sivakasi, May 10. (PTI): AIADMK nominee for Sivakasi parliamentary constituency P Kannan, and Tamil Nadu Minister Inbathamizhan, were injured, when two groups attacked them in separate incidents at Virudhunagar district today, police said.

Police said seven persons had been arrested in connection with the incident in which a TV crew member was also injured.

Police said an escort of the Minister fired in the air to disperse a group which pelted stones at Inbathamizhan's car. The Minister was proceeding to the spot where a clash had earlier taken place between Kannan's supporters and some MDMK and DMK volunteers at Sitthuparai.

While the Minister was hospitalised, the candidate was treated and discharged.

Referring to the incident in which the candidate was injured, police said a clash broke out between the two groups after a heated exchange over a "poll survey." In the clash Kannan was injured. His supporters escorted him to safety.

In yet another incident at Tiruparankunram, fans of actor Rajinikanth and DMK volunteers clashed after the former found the volunteers reportedly pinning badges having the actor's picture on their shirts and doing election work. A police officer rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd.

No big 'blast' at Sivakasi this election time - NS RAMNATH
SIVAKASI: Sivakasi, a small town in the south Tamil Nadu, once a bastion for printing election posters, is yet to find a single decent order this year, thanks to the Election Commission�s directive constraining the use of walls for campaigning.

But printers point to a bigger force�technology�as the reason for Sivakasi losing its pre-eminent position in printing.

Ten years back, election time meant more work for the already overworked printing presses. Even in ordinary days, printers in Sivakasi worked three shifts a day, six days a week. During election time, parties from across India beelined to �Kutti Japan�. And printers almost always took a bite more than what they could chew. Today, they have nothing to chew. Mr S stalin, who owns Jayam Offset Printers, which has two printing machines, said, �What? What is the connection between Sivakasi and election posters? Sir, did you see one poster on the wall anywhere on the way?�

He said the EC�s directive that bars any party to paste wall posters without permission of the building owners has meant that few parties have placed order for wall posters. �Now, I understand its okay to paste posters on the walls of �individual� houses. Let us see, if the order picks up from now on.�

But, most printers, including Mr Stalin, are not sure if the situation will change even now. �Even if there had been no directive from the EC, we would not have expected the kind of orders we used to get then,� they said. Reason? Mr A Raja Sankar, secretary, Sivakasi Master Printers Association (SMPA), said that clients used to prefer Sivakasi because of the expertise the printers had in touching and retouching. Besides, there was scale here with over 500 printers. �Now, computers have changed it altogether,� he said.

Mr A Kumaravel, president of the association, said technology has made redundant the domain expertise which Sivakasi printers once had. Printing machines have become cheaper. �Now, every region has many printing press, and there is no need for anyone to come to Sivakasi,� he said.

Mr Raja Sankar said, the printers have reacted in many ways. Some of them have shifted to other places, such as Coimbatore and Chennai. Some have closed down. Most don�t work in three shifts, but just for 8 hours a day. And some, have left low-end work like posters and have gone on to branded products.

Election Commission order affects Sivakasi poll merchandise - Arup Chanda (Tribune News Service) Date : 2004/04/24
Guidelines by the Election Commission on the expenses of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections have severely affected units manufacturing election campaign merchandise in this southern state once famous for life-size cutouts of cine stars-turned-politicians.

Once elections are announced Parry�s Corner in the northern part of this state capital becomes abuzz with activity. Election managers of all political parties place orders for flags, posters, life-size cutouts of leaders and other poll merchandise in large numbers. Commercial artists who paint wall graffitis are also in great demand.

But not this time. The Election Commission�s directive restricting candidates on their campaign hoardings, graffitis and posters has affected the business of printing presses and commercial artists here.

Balanandan of Balaji Offset Calendars is disappointed. �The Election Commission�s order has played havoc with our business as political parties have placed hardly 20 per cent of the orders they usually placed before earlier elections,� he said.

Lakshman of Friends Calendars said, �The Election Commission has appointed 2,000 observers throughout the country to keep an eye on campaign expenses of candidates. This has scared many candidates and even the major political parties were reluctant to place orders.��

Election trinkets like metal badges, key chains, caps and T-shirts with emblems of various political parties had always been a big draw in rural south India during elections.

The situation in Sivakasi in southern Tamil Nadu and 500 km from here, said to be the printing capital of the country, is equally grim. They have not received any bulk orders, which even came from other states in south India.

Said the president of the Sivakasi Master Printers Association, A. Kumaravel, �The printing units here are silent. There was a time when we received orders for printing lakhs of posters from political parties.� The Election Commission�s curb on expenses on posters has left these units high and dry.

They hope during the next Assembly elections in 2006 in Tamil Nadu they would receive bulk orders as legislators depend more on campaign through posters and leaflets.

Vaiko releases book on his achievements as an MP - Press Trust of India Date : 2004/04/23
In a bid to woo the voters, MDMK chief Vaiko has released a book on his achievements as a Member of Parliament, claiming that he had implemented 913 works at a total cost of Rs 13.31 crore in the last five years from his Local Area Development Fund in Sivakasi Lok Sabha constituency held by him in the dissolved Lower House.

Releasing the book at a press conference here, Vaiko, who has opted out of the electoral battle this time, said "though I had done several good things, the health camps I conducted gave me full satisfaction."

He said 65,000 children were given Hepatitis B vaccine and 8,000 disabled were operated for correcting the disabilities. Besides, he had arranged for coaching classes for students to enter professional colleges, he added.

Vaiko, who had won from the constituency in 1998 and 1999, has fielded Sippiparai Ravichandran for the May 10 polls.

Banking on Vaiko's charisma - By Our Staff Reporter Date : 2004/04/21
Sivakasi (TN), MDMK chief Vaiko may not be in the electoral fray this time from this constituency which sent him to the Lok Sabha twice in a row, but his charisma will be relied upon by the lesser-known party nominee who seeks to thwart the AIADMK''s attempt to wrest its stronghold.

Being a star campaigner for the Democrative Progressive Alliance (DPA), Vaiko, who is on bail after being imprisoned for over 18 months in a POTA case, has been leading the party''s campaign in the constituency, a dry region known globally for its fireworks and match units, despite his pressing schedule.

MDMK''s Sippiparai Ravichandran, an agriculture graduate handpicked by Vaiko himself after he decided to opt out of the elections, is locked in a tough fight with P Kannan of AIADMK.

Ravichandran is banking on Vaiko''s charisma and the services rendered by him to the people of constituency, such as medical camps. Vaiko, as an MP, had helped both his friends and foes in politics.

Besides, he is hoping that there would be the sympathy factor in favour of Vaiko for being incarcerated under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Vaiko had done well to nurture the constituency since winning it for the first time in 1998 in the company of BJP-AIADMK and retaining it in alliance with BJP-DMK.

Drought, acute drinking water scarcity, the threat to cottage industries such as match units from mechanisation, unemployment and drop in firework exports are the main issues in the constituency. (

The ruling AIADMK campaign is being led by state Minister Inbhatamizhan whose father Tamaraikani of DMK has his own following in the Srivilliputhur Assembly segment, falling under Sivakasi.

Inbatamizhan, who has disassociated himself from his father, is working overtime to win the confidence of his political mentor and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Though MDMK supporters say Vaiko had done a lot for constituency, they are also grateful to the NDA government in which he was a partner.

"Vaiko did a lot for the constituency. But he is in the wrong alliance, and if NDA forms the next government, all the votes to MDMK would go waste," says a college student and several people think the same way.

The people want a permanent solution to the drinking water problem. They also want encouragement to cottage match units and a ban on import of matchsticks and mechanisation.

The tobacco major ITC''s entry into the match industry had created panic in the cottage industry units which are facing the threat of closure.

The threat to handloom and cottage industries would also have an impact in the coming elections.

The fireworks workers are also facing a threat as some of the factory owners have started units in China. Employment opportunities for the fireworks technicians has come down considerably and so also export of fireworks. With the delay in the implementation of the Virudhunagar-Quilon broadgauge railway project, trade between Tamil Nadu and Kerala has been affected in this region.

There are 13,13,039 voters in the constituency with 6,75,251 female voters. Naidus constituted major chunk of the population with 24 per cent followed by Dalits 17 per cent, Nadars 16 per cent and Mukulathors 14 per cent. Muslims, Saliyars and Chettiars also are in good strength.

While MDMK candidate Ravichandran is a Naidu, his rival Kannan belongs to the Nadar community.

The People''s Alliance led by Dalit-based DPI and Puthiya Tamizhagam is also planning to field its candidate.

Vaiko had won from this constituency as an ally of the AIADMK-BJP in 1998 and as an ally of DMK-BJP in 1999.

The MDMK chief shocked everyone by announcing not to contest the elections and fielding Ravichandran, who is with the party since its inception. An agriculture graduate from Sippiparai village, he is having a seed research centre at Kovilpatti.

The AIADMK candidate is a new entrant to the election arena. He was Vice-President of the Virudhunagar AIADMK Advocates'' Association and was with the party since 1987.

Sivakasi was once a Congress bastion before the AIADMK established its hold over the seat. The constituency comprising Viridhunagar, the birthplace of the late Kamaraj, had remained elusive to the Congress since it won the seat in 1977. AIADMK had won four times in a row since 1980 and MDMK twice. CPI won the seat in 1996.

At one time the constituency had witnessed frequent caste clashes, but these came down considerably after AIADMK came to power in the state in 2001. (Agencies)

Intra-party feud in Sivakasi AIADMK - By Our Staff Reporter Date : 2004/04/21
SIVAKASI: The intra-party feud in the AIADMK ranks in Sivakasi has snowballed into a major controversy with a majority of the former MLAs and district secretaries accusing Minister for Youth Affairs and chief campaign manager Inbathamizhan of ignoring them and promoting his own coterie.

The tussle is also taking a caste line, with his adversaries being Maravars, and he being a Nadar. Quite a few leading functionaries of the party called up this newspaper to say that they were unhappy over the manner in which Inbathamizhan was treating them.

As one functionary said, ��I belong to the Maravar community and the high command is well aware of my strength. However, the Minister has completely sidelined me.��

Heavyweights like Radhakrishnan, �Sattur� Sundarapandian, Balakrishnan, Balagangadharan feel humiliated and are taking up the matter with the high command, it is said.

Like all other parties, the AIADMK too had its intra-party rivalries but when it came to general elections, partymen forgot their personal rivalries and worked for their candidate unitedly. But this time round Inbathamizhan seems to have tread on too many toes, affecting the party�s work.

Irked by Inbathamizhan�s highhandedness, some AIADMK men even said: ��We don�t expect the minister to give us any big responsibility, but should he not give respect by consulting us on the electioneering strategies? If we lose tomorrow, Amma will not spare anybody.��

�Sivakasi� Chinnathambi, an AIADMK councillor, complained that though he had been originally selected as one of the 40 speakers who would address campaign meetings all over the state, his name was removed at Inbathamizhan�s instance.

It is rather unusual that any AIADMK man would go on record against a minister around the time of elections. Clearly something is wrong with the AIADMK�s campaigning in Sivakasi. While the minister himself proved elusive, one of his aides denied the allegations and said, ��We have been informing all the functionaries wherever we go during campaigns and everyone is taken into confidence. This is all malicious propaganda and won�t cut ice with Amma. She knows that the the minister works for about 20 hours everyday.��

Observers for Sivakasi LS constituency - By Our Staff Reporter Date : 2004/04/03
The Election Commission has appointed Devendra Kumar Sikri and Biresh Kumar as general observers for the Sivakasi Lok Sabha constituency. Ravi Jain will be the expenditure observer.

The Collector, A. Mohammed Aslam, said in a statement that the three observers would go around the constituency from April 20.

Previous Winners in SIVAKASI (Tamil Nadu) Election

Year	Candidate	Party	Votes	Total Votes	Electorates	Percentage of Votes
1999	Vaiko	MDMK	325829	790751	1257935	41.8 %
1998	Vaiko	MDMK	387694	781757	1203627	50.68 %
1996	Alagirisamy, V.	CPI	238483	808460	1167499	30.8 %
1991	Kanga Govindarajulu R.	ADK	365155	683293	1076887	55.21 %
1989	K. Kalimuthu	ADK	450376	783252	1083748	58.21 %
1984	N. Soundararajan	ADK	323786	627315	838018	53.69 %
1980	Sourdararajan N.	ADK	234654	517475	756211	46.07 %
1977	V. Jayalakshmi	INC	271568	509445	722380	54.53 %
1971	V. Jeyalakshmi	INC	235491	415649	573405	59.67 %
1967	P. Ramamoorthy	SWA	194364	423918	525365	47.08 %


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