Mailam Assembly constituency in Villupuram district is heading for a tough and direct fight between former minister and MP C.Ve. Shanmugam of the AIADMK and L. Venkatesan of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), which is part of the DMK-led alliance.
While Mr. Shanmugam shifted from Villupuram, Mr. Venkatesan, who was the MLA of Tirukkoyilur constituency in 2011, shifted to Mailam. The ruling DMK has allotted the Tirukkoyilur seat to former minister K. Ponmudy’s son Goutham Sigamani.
Mailam sitting MLA C. Sivakumar of PMK, an AIADMK ally, has moved to Vikravandi constituency in Villupuram district. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Mr. Sivakumar defeated his nearest rival R. Masilamani of the DMK by a margin of 2,230 votes.
Although Mr. Shanmugam carries the label of ‘outsider’, he is unfazed by such criticism. While Mr. Shamugam is concentrating on his election campaign, Mr. Venkatesan is ably supported by the DMK.
Comprised of three Panchayat Unions – Mailam, Vallam and Olakkur – Mailam constituency is a rain-fed region where agriculture is the main occupation. Water bodies only fill up where there is heavy rain, forcing the farming community to depend on boreholes to grow crops.
“The absence of a government arts and science college and polytechnic in Mailam or anywhere in the constituency has been felt for long. Students have to travel to either Gingee or Tindivanam in the district for higher education. The constituency has not seen any significant development over the years and continues to be a backward region,” says a resident of Saravanan.
S. Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Kooteripattu, said that the demand for setting up a Municipal Panchayat and Taluk headquarters at Mailam has been pending for more than 15 years.
“Gingee and Tindivanam taluks currently have a large number of large village panchayats. Residents of Mailam and Kooteripattu have to travel to Gingee and Tindivanam to avail various services. The town panchayat is better positioned to provide basic amenities on a large scale in the face of the village panchayat,” the panchayat said.
The slow pace of widening the two-lane Vellimedupettai-Mailam Road to four-lane with absolute lack of safety measures has been a nightmare for the residents. Residents want the project to be completed as soon as possible as they breathe dust and overcome potholes.
Published – 04 April 2026 05:30 IST
