T.N. election 2026: Once a Chief Minister’s citadel, Srirangam constituency yearns for more infrastructure development

The biggest in Tiruchi district in terms of the size of the electorate, the Srirangam Assembly constituency comprises a diverse mix of urban and rural populace.

With a major temple town in its midst and rapid urbanisation of its rural segments, the civic infrastructure in the constituency has been stretched to its limits in recent years.

The constituency encompasses the island of Srirangam, sandwiched between the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers, and vast stretches of semi-urban and rural areas falling under the Andhanallur and Manikandam unions. Mutherayars are dominant in the constituency, while Brahmins have substantial presence.

For long, Srirangam was perceived to be a safe seat for the AIADMK — the constituency has returned AIADMK candidates nine times since 1977. The DMK was able to achieve a breakthrough in 1996 and the party’s M. Palaniyandi wrested it again from the AIADMK in 2021. In 1989, Y. Venkateswara Dikshithar of Janata Party, backed by the DMK, tasted electoral success.

The constituency was nourished and nurtured by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, after she was elected from here in 2011. The recently opened new bus terminus in Srirangam and an additional road over bridge that is coming up across the Cauvery are significant developments that the constituency has witnessed over the past five years.

In recent elections, a dispute between the Ranganathaswamy Temple administration and a section of residents over ownership of properties around the temple remains a dominant poll issue.

“This is a vexed issue that has eluded a solution, much to the resentment of a large number of residents,” says Suresh Venkatachalam, president, Srirangam Nagara Nala Sangam.

“A queue complex, on the lines of the one in Tirupati, is essential for the Srirangam temple. We also need a separate tourist bus stand with all necessary amenities. A dedicated sewage system is required for Uthira and Chithirai Veedhis. The Government Hospital in Srirangam needs new buildings, more manpower and modern equipment,” he says, listing out the various other issues in the constituency.

Observing that arrival of tourists, specially spiritual tourists, has increased exponentially over the years, J. Anantha Padmanabhan, a long-time resident of the town, says that almost all their vehicles are now being parked on the roadside at different parts of the town. “A spacious parking lot for these vehicles is a must for the town.”

The Thirumanjana Cauvery, an irrigation canal which runs through the temple town of Srirangam, continues to bear the brunt of urban pollution due to sewage flow and indiscriminate dumping of solid wastes. “It is considered a sacred canal, but is now facing the brunt of urban pollution,” he rues.

For residents living along the suburbs off the Tiruchi-Karur National Highway, the frequent accidents on the stretch between the city and Pettavaithalai have been the foremost concern, points out P. Ayyarappan, a road safety activist. “Expeditious construction of the Panjapur-Thindukkarai bypass road could help reduce the volume of traffic and the accidents,” he says.

Most of the suburbs along the highway have been lacking in civic amenities too. Villagers along the Karur highway have also been demanding a motorable bridge near Mukkombu to reach the Tiruchi-Namakkal Highway, he adds.

“Large tracts of agricultural fields are being converted into plots and the emerging residential colonies lack civic amenities. The proposal to develop a road along the banks of Uyyakondan river from Puthur to Sunnambukaranpatti should be executed at the earliest as the narrow Valayur Road connecting the city and the villages is unable to cater to the burgeoning traffic,” says N. Rajendran of Vayalur.

The Vayalur temple, which too attracts devotees in large numbers, does not even have a proper bus stand, access road and amenities such as public toilets and drinking water supply, he adds.

A section of residents have been demanding the construction of a check dam across the Kollidam, between Vadukku Vasal and Nochiyam, to shore up the water table and drinking water sources for the town.

“Jasmine and banana growers, susceptible to price fluctuations and exploitation by middlemen, are looking for industrial units for value addition,” says Ayilai Sivasuriyan, district secretary of the CPI-affiliated Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, and resident of Ayilapettai in the constituency.

Clearly, voters yearn for the return of the heydays of attention and development when a Chief Minister had represented the constituency.

Published – March 24, 2026 05:49 pm IST