Constituency watch | An articulate parliamentarian is all voters in Tiruppur Lok Sabha seat look for

Tiruppur knitwear industry crisis dominates election issues, with joblessness, pollution, and industrial development concerns in focus.

To say that the Tiruppur knitwear industry is in a crisis would be an understatement.

While joblessness, shortcomings in urban infrastructure, and pollution dominate the issues confronting Tiruppur North and Tiruppur South segments, absence of industrial development is of concern for the electorate in Gobichettipalayam and Anthiyur segments. In Perundurai, the main problems are pollution from the SIPCOT Industrial Estate and water shortage.

The key contestants in this constituency represent Communist Party of India (CPI), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK).

The CPI has retained its sitting MP K. Subbarayan; the AIADMK has fielded its Erode Suburban East District MGR Youth Wing Secretary P. Arunachalam, who belongs to Perundurai; the BJP has fielded A.P. Muruganandam, and the Naam Tamizhar Katchi has a woman candidate Seethalakshmi.

The CPI candidate, Mr. Subbarayan, is campaigning for his re-election with a promise that there will be good tidings for the industry in the event of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA bloc) assuming power.

BJP candidate Mr. Muruganandam, on the other hand, says he is campaigning with the momentum generated in the party by the recent visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Palladam and Coimbatore. The AIADMK candidate has for his support seasoned politician and former Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Mr. Subbarayan secured 50,8725 votes, defeating M.S.M. Anandan of AIADMK who polled 41,5357, by a winning margin of 8.3 percent.