It is 7 am on March 30. The morning is pleasant, and the vegetable market at Agraharam in Salem, Tamil Nadu, is busy. A convey of vehicles stops near the roadside shops. Chief Minister M K Stalin clad in black pants and a pink T-shirt, steps out of his car. Cellphones go up and slogans pierce the air. Stalin indulges in the clamour for selfies, interacts with women, and introduces the man by his side—T M Selvaganpathy, the DMK’s candidate in Salem Lok Sabha constituency. “Vote for him in the Rising Sun”, he says.

The DMK hopes to sweep all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Naidu and the lone seat in Puducherry . Stalin is technically, in a four-cornered fight on the ground with Edappadi K Palaniswami of the AIADMK, K Annamalai of the BJP and Senthamizhan Seeman of the Naam Tamilar Katchi. But, in pulling crowds and delivering fiery speeches, he is far ahead of rivals.

The DMK’s entire campaign revolves around Stalin and his vigorous campaign against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The DMK’s slogan—‘Bring down fascism; save India’—taps into deeply entrenched anti—BJP sentiments in the state. “Modi is a myth, and that myth is breaking down”, Stalin reportedly said. “Modi did not win the past two parliamentary elections in Tamil Nadu. The people are confident that the BJP, which has betrayed Tamils, the Tamil language and Tamil Nadu will be brought down”.

The DMK has steadily built an image of Stalin. His government ‘s several successfully welfare (free bus ride and a monthly allowance of Rs 1000 for women, cash award for college students and free breakfast in schools) and the handling of successive crises.

“when there were floods, the Union government did not come to our rescue. They did not give us even a single paise. The Prime Minister who visits Tamil Nadu often, did not come when we were in distress”, said Kanimozhi, DMK’s deputy general secretary and Lok Sabha member.

The DMK and its allies—the Congress, the CPI (M), the CPI and Dravidian parties-- have fielded more than a dozen incumbents MPs. The alliance’s star campaigners include Kanimozhi, actor Kamal Hassan and sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Known for his one-liners Udayanidhi calls Modi ‘Mr. 29 Paisa. “If we pay Rs 1 as tax to the central government , it gives back only 29 paisa to the state in return. If our chief minister is able to deliver on the promises with just 29 paise, imagine how much he can do if he gets our due from the Union Government”, says Udhayanidhi in his campaign speeches. He also reminds people to ask Modi about old promises—two crore jobs. Rs 15 lakh in every Jan Dhan account, and an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Madurai”.

But rhetoric aside, the DMK’s campaign lacks energy. Party cadres appear a bit too confident, as surveys have predicted that their alliance would sweep the polls. The DMK also seems to have got the caste calculation right. For instance, the Forward Bloc, which represents the dominant Thevar community, has been brought into the fold.

The DMK is ahead arithmetically, but the AIADMK has put up a good show in all constituencies. The AIADMK had broken ties with the BJP months earlier, but its alliance still includes parties such as Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, the Social Democratic Party of India and K Krishnaswamy’s Puthiya Tamilagam. The DMDK is contesting in five constituencies, while the SDPI and the Puthiya Tamilagam have candidates in one seat each. (IPA Service)