Tamil Nadu: 94-Year-Old Kamakshi 'Patti' All Set To Contest Local Body Polls Independently
A social activist for 40 years, Kamakshi Patti, a resident of 4th Avenue, Mico Colony, Besant Nagar, has decided to contest the polls from Chennai’s ward 174 comprising Besant Nagar and Adayar area
New Delhi: The urban local body polls in Tamil Nadu is all set to take place in a single phase on February 10. Ahead of the elections, 94-year-old Kamakshi Subramanian, fondly called Kamakshi Patti (grandma), has filed her nomination papers as an independent candidate for the post of ward councillor.
A social activist for over 40 years, Kamakshi Patti, a resident of 4th Avenue, Mico Colony, Besant Nagar, has decided to contest the upcoming polls from Chennai’s ward 174 comprising Besant Nagar and Adayar area.
After her application has been accepted post consideration, Kamakshi Patti has asked that the banyan tree, which is a main landmark in the Adyar area, be set aside as her election symbol.
The nonagenarian candidate, who spearheaded the fight to save the local water bodies in Chennai, is currently resorting to social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for her poll campaigning and said that she would go for a door-to-door campaign once she gets her election logo.
Although her decision to contest the elections has disappointed several candidates from the political parties, Kamakshi Patti, talking about her unshakeable resolve to fight the polls, said that her only aim is to solve the issues ailing the area.
Dismissing the idea of age being a barrier, the 94-year-old candidate said, “Political parties that win elections do not focus on solving the problems of the public. Even when someone makes a complaint, proper action is never taken. Therefore, I am contesting the elections directly so that we can solve our problems ourselves.”
“Candidates from some political parties spoke to me. But, no one intimidated me. I have said that I am contesting the election to solve our ward problems. People who have supported me, have been campaigning for me on social media,” she added.
She also said despite being full of educated and affluent people, several residents in the ward refrain from casting their vote. In her campaign, she said, she would try to make the people more aware and bring them to vote for her.
Unlike other independent candidates, she does not wish to be part of any political party if she wins the polls, said Kamakshi Patti. Her only goal will be to address the problems in the area that she has been residing in for over four decades.
“I will form a team with the residents there on every street in the ward, listen to their problems and take action to solve them,” she said.
Notably, a total of 74,383 candidates have filed their papers to contest in the 12,826 posts across 21 corporations, 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayats in the upcoming Tamil Nadu urban local body elections.
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