Lok Sabha

R S Bharathy ready to move to big stage
Chennai, April 7:
He has been chairman of the Alandur Municipality for four times on the trot. Now, R S Bharathy, long-time legal wing secretary of the DMK, gets an opportunity to prove himself on a bigger stage — the nation’s Parliament, if he gets elected from South Chennai Lok Sabha constituency in the forthcoming elections. The delimitation process has brought in several changes. So long, he was confined to Alandur Municipality, now he has to concentrate on more areas including Velachery, Medavakkam, Triplicane (part), Mylapore, Virugambakkam, West Mambalam, T Nagar, Saidapet, Thiruvanmiyur, Sozhinganallur and Uthandi on the ECR stretch. He may have more on his plate, but Bharathy is not flustered and hopes to do his best, if he gets elected from the high-profile South Chennai constituency.
Being a popular personality in Alandur and nearby areas, the DMK veteran is confident that his good work as the Municipal Chairman will bring him votes. Also, the locals feel they will be losing a hard-working Chairman (if he goes on to become an MP).
To a query on whether he would accept a Ministerial berth if the UPA returned to power at the Centre, all he would say was: ‘I don’t want to comment and invite trouble.’
Asked how he would go about his job if he emerged victorious at the hustings, Bharathy said, ‘I will study the situation and take action.’
Sharing his thoughts with News Today, the well-known advocate, said the people’s expectations made him take the decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Further, he said as a labour leader, he was cajoled to contest from North Chennai for which he had applied. ‘Yet, the demands from advocates could not be neglected, so I also applied to contest from South Chennai.’
Bharathy is grateful to the DMK high command for nominating him to contest from South Chennai, a seat hitherto held by Union Minister T R Baalu, who will now seek election from Sriperumbudur.