Rival politicians turn to same deity for victory

MADURAI: The AIADMK and DMK may be sworn rivals in politics, but they seem to be depending on the same deity to bring them luck and victory . What M K Alagiri did as the DMK candidate in 2009, Raj Satyan did as the AIADMK candidate on Monday.


The ancient Yoga Narasimmar temple in Othakadakadai is nestled in the foothills of the Yanaimalai temple.

When the elder son of late DMK leader M Karunanidhi decided to contest the elections for the first time in 2009, he kept people guessing on the place from where he would kick off his campaign. He went on to launch the campaign from the Narasimmar temple which is frequented by his wife Gandhi Alagiri.

When the family was facing problems in 2003 with Alagiri being arrested in connection with the murder of Tha Kiruttinan, this was a temple she visited almost every day. When her husband decided to contest the polls in 2009, the blessing of this deity was what she depended on to ensure victory. Alagiri won the Lok Sabha election by a whopping 4.30 lakh votes, a margin which made politicians believe in divine grace.

Since then, candidates who believe in divine power have been offering worship in the temple before starting poll work. In the last local body elections, the temple had a regular flow of candidates and so was the case in the assembly elections before the final day of nominations. Madurai North MLA V V Rajan Chellappa is known to visit the temple and now his son, V V Raj Satyan, who filed his nomination followed in his footsteps and visited the temple soon after filing his nomination. Special pujas amid fanfare marked the launch of the campaign at the temple on Monday.