Constituency Watch – Periyakulam has potential to become a ‘centre for excellence’ in agri sector

Periyakulam Assembly Constituency in Theni district has been steadily polling for the two Dravidian parties since 1967. Except in 2011, when CPI (M) won, over the last five decades, the DMK and the AIADMK have tasted victory and defeat like a see-saw battle.

In the last elections held in 2021, DMK candidate K. S. Saravanakumar emerged victorious by polling 46.28 % defeating his nearest rival from the AIADMK, who managed to poll 35.58 %.

Then, the arithmetic was different from the present election, where the AIADMK now has AMMK, BJP, PMK and a few more outfits under its umbrella, with the name – National Democratic Alliance or NDA front.

In the current election, the NDA is represented by Kathirkamu, a medical professional from the AMMK. The ruling DMK front too has given the seat to its ally (VCK) which has fielded Aatral Arasu, a party functionary. The new player TVK founded by actor Vijay has nominated G. Sabari and Naam Tamilar Katchi has Vimala on board.

Speaking to The Hindu, PKR Vijayakumar, president Town Welfare Association in Periyakulam said that every time during election, the candidates and their parties make a basketful of promises. While some are done, a majority of the promises are only broken.

The people expect the elected representatives to focus on keeping the eco-system clean. When many nations in the globe talked about the importance of preserving the environment, Periyakulam AC, which is fortunately near the foothills of the Western ghats has not received the attention it deserves. Despite having a fair share of green cover and dense forest in the region, it continues to remain in filth and garbage, he added.

For instance, the Varaha River in the constituency is filled with waste and considered as a dump yard for many. The civic body should take stock of the waterbody and keep it clean.

Likewise, though the Railways had introduced Bodi-Chennai-Bodi train, its destination should be Chennai Egmore and not Chennai Central. “Many people from the southern districts are unable to alight at Tambaram or Mambalam, as the present Bodi-Chennai train takes the Katpadi-Jolarpet sector to reach Chennai Central”, he added.

Periyakulam, a part of Theni district, has the State-run Horticultural College & Research Institute, a premier institution in its constituency. Though the Tamil Nadu government encouraged farming and the present DMK regime tabled a budget for agriculture in the Legislative Assembly, the experts here feel that still the potential has not been tapped.

Innovative techniques in farming can be introduced which would not only be cost effective to the small and marginal farmers, but also help in higher yields and attractive returns, a faculty in the Horticulture department said.

While the Union government provided seed capital for Startups, the neo-entrepreneurs were unable to get the right information on enhancing their units to the next level. As a result, many among them looked for opportunities in metro cities and other States for pursuing their businesses.

A professor in HC&RI said that they were carrying out numerous research on areas, including climate change and post-harvest crop management, et al, the local farmers feel that the academic institution should help them face water scarcity and address labour scarcity and among others.

A farmer, Ahamed from Thenkarai said that mangoes were grown in Periyakulam in a big way. The government should establish a pulp manufacturing unit and also set up cold storage facility as many horticultural goods could be stored and sold at a prime time which would get higher earnings for them.

Likewise, the Periyakulam farmers’ association leader Paramasivam said that though the road was laid between Periyakulam and Adukkam stretch, they were unable to transport the goods to the upper hills (Kodaikanal) due to restrictions from the Forest department.

As a result, transportation was not done through Adukkam, which if done, helps save a sizable travel time, he said and hoped, which ever government came to power, should intervene.

The constituency, which primarily has a lot of villages around, depended on agriculture in some form or the other. However, in the absence of any major value addition units for these commodities grown here, the farmers continued to remain farm labourers with debts, said A. V. Asokan, a retired government employee, who owns 2 acres of land.

AIADMK and Theni

From time immemorial, Theni district had been the most preferred destination for the AIADMK as its stalwarts MGR and Jayalalithaa were elected from here to the Legislative Assembly in the past. Going by this, the present AIADMK functionaries are optimistic that with the new combination (with AMMK, BJP and PMK), they would romp home victorious in the prestigious Periyakulam constituency.

Published – April 02, 2026 09:17 pm IST