DMDK-People’s Welfare Front (PWF) Chief Ministerial candidate Vijayakanth has rushed to his Ulundurpet constituency on Tuesday following poor pre-poll predictions for his party. He is expected to intensify his election campaign, cancelling his other tour schedules.

A poll survey, which was conducted by DMDK youth wing leader Sudish during his campaign, said that electorates in Ulundurpet questioned why Vijayakanth was apprehensive about seeking re-elections in Reshivandhiyam where he contested during the last polls.

After coming to know from Sudish about his electoral prospects, Vijayakanth, who was about to attend a public meeting in Tiruchirapalli on Tuesday evening, suspended his south trip and proceeded towards Ulundurpet constituency in Villupuram district.

“Our leader has decided to stay back for two days and would intensify his campaign besides addressing various public meetings in Ulundurpet”, S. Gopalan, a senior DMDK functionary said.

He said the electoral battle at Ulundurpet was getting harder, with the Vanniyar-dominated PMK recently changing its candidate and fielding party spokesman and High Court advocate Balu.

In addition, the DMDK chief had to face the ruling AIADMK candidate and sitting Ulundurpet MLA R. Kumaraguru, who was seeking re-election at the same place.

PMK candidate Balu, during his meeting with his electorates, was repeatedly heard to be saying that defeating Vijayakanth would not be a big problem since Ulundurpet electorates were aware of the fact that the actor had hardly attended Assembly sessions to take up the grievances of the neighouring Rishivandhiyam constituency where he won last time.

“People have come to know all the facts and figures of Vijayakanth”, Balu said.

Even Vijayakanth’s wife and DMDK women wing leader Premalatha Vijayakanth was likely to go to Ulundurpet to help her husband in poll campaigning. With barely two weeks left to go for the election, Vijayakanth’s move has raised eyebrows of various political leaders.

There are many speculations as to why Vijayakanth chose this constituency. Going by numbers, in the previous 2011 election, VCK, which had now allied with DMDK, secured 61,286 against total polled vote figure of 1.91 lakh.

Vijayakanth’s DMDK, which allied with AIADMK in 2011, secured third position in 2006 with 20 per cent vote share, and got 30,411 votes. Now with the VCK and DMDK stitching up an alliance, Vijayakanth’s camp claims that winning in Ulundurpet seem brighter for the actor.