DMK Chief M. Karunanidhi’s younger son M.K. Stalin has not only won his father’s heart to become heir apparent, but has also gained the support of his Kolathur constituency electorates.

Though there are many unfulfilled poll promises in Kolathur where Stalin is seeking re-election for the May 16 polls, the DMK leader enjoys good support not only from the voters but also with its local party cadre.

With about 2.54 lakh voters, Kolathur is an underdeveloped region in the north of Chennai. Most of the residents here are daily labourers and unorganised workers.

It was a big hit when Stalin launched the innovative ‘Reach Your MLA’ programme for the benefit of Kolathur residents soon after winning against AIADMK contestant Saidai S. Duraisamy by a thin margin in 2011.

This time he is pitted against AIADMK’s J.D.C. Prabhakar, the sitting legislator from the Villivakam constituency, and Vijayakanth-DMDK’s Madhivanan, who is little known to his voters.

“My visit to the office in Kolathur two to three times a week is not enough to remedy the existing challenges faced by people”, the 63-year old Stalin said.

The DMK Chennai District Secretary Sekar Babu, who is looking after party’s north Chennai poll campaign, charged the State Government official for delaying many projects, which was proposed by Stalin.

“Even couple of fly-over bridge projects, which was sanctioned by the Centre, was delayed due to the delay of the officials concerned, who are working for the ruling party”, he alleged.

“Whatever demand we have, he (Stalin) used to fulfill within his capacity immediately” S.K. Ragavan, a resident of Kolathur said.

According to Raghavan, some of the unfulfilled promises are setting up an engineering college, improvement of Periyar Nagar hospital, remedy for drinking water crisis and construction of bridges and flyovers.

“To continue the left-over projects in our area, Stalin should be elected once again otherwise all his efforts will go a waste”, Gunasekaran, a first time voter, said.

One more programme called ‘Pesalam vaanga’ (come let us talk) for residents, launched by Stalin, also kept the DMK leader and the Kolathur voters close since 2013.

However, Stalin’s opponent Prabhakar, an advocate, who won by a big margin at Villivakam against the strong DMK opponent K. Anbazhagan in 2011, is expected to give him a tough fight.

“Though Kolathur was won by the opposition party, our ‘Amma’s (Jayalalithaa) welfare scheme reached each and every household here, and therefore they will vote for us”, Prabhakar claimed.

Stalin served as deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 2009 to 2011 and as 44th Mayor of Chennai from 1996 to 2001. The Party Treasurer and the Youth Wing President Stalin was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1989 from Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai and continued to represent the constituency in 1996, 2001 and 2006.

This time the DMK is hopeful of reclaiming Kolathur banking on what they call the ruling AIADMK’s inefficient handling of the December 2015 floods.