Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2026: Voters miffed at apathy towards industrial potential of Aravakurichi constituency

Aravakurichi, situated on National Highway 7, is not far from Karur, which is known for housing a number of industrial units including home textiles and bus body building. However, industrialisation that is witnessed in Karur has not spread to Aravakurichi constituency except blue metal mining at Thennilai and K. Paramathi and Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Paper Ltd at Pugalur.

The constituency that begins from Aravakurichi and Pallapatty in the south extends up to Velayuthampalayam in the north. While most parts of Aravakurichi and K. Paramathi unions have parched lands and rocky terrains, Velayuthampalayam is blessed with fertile lands.

Aravakurichi is one of the drought-prone belts in Karur district. Drinking water remains a major issue. According to residents, water is supplied once in four or five days to homes and they have to store the drinking water in drums and cans. Though successive elected representatives promised a combined Cauvery drinking water project for stable water supply, several areas of the constituency face acute drinking water scarcity, particularly in summer months.

“We have suffered from the drinking water crisis for many years. We get water once every five days. Several villages of the constituency are reeling under drinking water shortage,” says P. Jothirathinam, a resident of Aravakurichi.

N. Ganapathy, another resident, says there is no bus stand at Aravakurichi. Though elected representatives promised to build one, it has not been fulfilled.

Drumstick trees in full bloom at a farm in Aravakurichi in Karur district.
| Photo Credit:
M. MOORTHY

Drumstick cultivation is a major agricultural activity in several parts of the constituency due to suitable soil. Drumstick farms have been raised on about 5,000 acres in Aravakurichi and its neighbouring villages such as Manalmedu, Palayam, Eesanathan, Pungapadi and Vellodu. There is a good demand across the country for Aravakurichi drumsticks. But it does not fetch much remuneration to farmers. There has been a long-pending demand for establishing a drumstick manufacturing unit. And, it has been a promise made by most candidates during elections. Though there were attempts to establish a unit, it remains a promise.

As far as industrialisation is concerned, the constituency has immense potential to lure industrialists to expand their units in Aravakurichi. It is well-connected by roads from Tiruchi, Dindigul, Karur and Coimbatore. It possesses large tracts of lands suitable for housing industrial units. However, local residents feel that there has been no real push from the State government to promote industrialisation in Aravakurichi. The residents rue that successive governments and elected representatives have failed to encourage setting up small and tiny industrial units. In the absence of industries, people depend on Karur units for jobs.

The DMK has fielded Monjanur R. Elango, the sitting MLA of the constituency. He takes on AIADMK’s K. Selvakumar, who holds the post of K. Paramathi west union secretary. P. Karthikeyan is the candidate of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and the NTK has fielded Naren. Among them, Mr. Elango enjoys popularity. He takes a lead in electioneering and reaches out to the voters by highlighting the achievements of the DMK government. Mr. Elango, who defeated former BJP president K. Annamalai in the 2021 election with a victory margin of 24,816 votes, hopes to repeat his performance in the 2026 election also.

Mr. Selvakumar, who makes debut in the Assembly election, highlights various issues such as drinking water, lack of unemployment and price rise.

Gounders and Muslims are the dominant communities in the constituency. Dalits too have a sizable presence. The AIADMK and DMK camps are working overtime to win over Muslim voters in Pallapatti to tilt the scales in their favour. It is said that Mr. Elango managed to win the 2021 elections with the support of voters in Pallapatti. It remains to be seen whether he can notch up a victory again this time.