The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is shaky in its bastion of Thanjavur, which is besieged with acute civic problems and unemployment, as it faces the May 8 assembly polls to the Tamil Nadu assembly.
Coverage: Assembly Polls 2006
Thanjavur, which boasts of being the base of the erstwhile Chola Dynasty and the art capital of Tamil Nadu besides being termed the state's rice bowl, continues to be industrially backward, leaving hundreds of educated youth unemployed.
Located in the Cauvery delta, this semi-urban constituency has the engineering marvel of Raja Raja Chola -- Big Temple, the shadow of which never falls on the soil, and also world renowned Saraswati Mahal library, a treasure house of old palm leave manuscripts in Tamil and Pali languages.
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These two offer the solace of employment to the educated unemployed, who work as guides to the tourists who visit the town.
Barring a few sugar mills and a lone textile mill, the district does not have any major industry.
Residents of the town, known for its lanes and bylanes, complain that these mills do not provide too adequate employment opportunities. Many among the electorate here feel creation of industries like sugar, textiles and even match-box making units could help generate employment opportunities.
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"Land is also not a problem," points out a voter, adding that the elected representatives had done not much for this constituency.
Despite being a district headquarter town, Thanjavur has not developed like nearby Kumbakonam, represented by former DMK minister Ko Si Mani.
Gopal, an autorickshaw driver, said Mani was instrumental in developing Kumbakonam. "If he had been made the DMK candidate here, he would have won hands down," he said.
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Unchecked rowdyism was also a cause for worry. Vijayakanth's DMDK might make inroads in this constituency with many first time voters and people like the street vendors feeling the need to give a chance to a new player.
Also, the rice offers and TV scheme have not found much favour with a majority of the electorate here, who deem these schemes as mere 'eyewash' and 'election stunt'.
The constituency, dominated by the 'Kallar' and the 'Sourashtra' communities will see three-time winner S N M Ubayadullah of the DMK taking on M Rengasamy of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
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The DMDK, Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party and two independents make up the other five candidates.
Thanjavur, a traditional stronghold of the DMK, has elected party supremo M Karunanidhi to the state assembly way back in 1962 prevailing over Parisutha Nadar of the INC. Ubayadullah has won from this constituency thrice in 2001, 1996 and 1989. The only reversal for him came in 1991 when Somasundaram of AIADMK found favour with the electorate.
In 1971, 1977 and 1980, Natarajan S of the DMK won the elections. Thanjavur has an electorate of 1,82,184, of which 92,108 are women.
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