The Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha constituency, which has been won by candidates of the DMK, the BJP and the Congress in the last three Parliamentary elections of 2009, 2014, 2019 and the 2021 by-election, is now ready for the upcoming 2024 elections, with a new entrant in the fray: the Naam Tamilar Katchi.
While Pon. Radhakrishnan of the BJP or Vijay Vasanth, son of late Congress veteran H. Vasantha Kumar are seen as prominent faces both in their respective parties and in State politics, this election could be a tough game considering various political events that have taken place in the past few years. People of Kanniyakumari are now becoming familiar with a new face: the NTK’s 42-year-old Maria Jennifer Clara Michael.
Ms. Maria Jennifer, who hails from a fishing community will be contesting for the first time in an election. A computer science engineering graduate, she has completed an MBA and has worked for over 15 years in Dubai, and had served as the Gulf region head for Samsung.
A vocal critic of illegal mining from nature-rich areas of Kanniyakumari, Ms. Maria has, of late, become a recognizable face in the area. She is confident that she can bring about a change in the region by putting an end to the illegal mining in the Western Ghats, the products of which are then transported to nearby Kerala.
“Though I am called a newcomer, I have, for the past one year stood with the people to oppose illegal mining. The heavyweight parties have been silent about the destruction of our natural resources: I was the only person voicing this issue,” she said.
With her background, she said, she was aware of the problems faced by the fishermen and their families in the region. “The fishermen, despite knowing that their lives could be in danger, enter the sea for their livelihood. They cannot be given any alternatives: instead they should be provided with an assurance that their lives and boats will be safe. But both the State government and the Central government have remained mute spectators in the issue of T.N. fishermen facing threats at sea,” she said.
Religious polarisation by BJP, Congress
Claiming that both other major parties in the fray, the BJP and the Congress, were keen to polarise people based on their religion and communities to attract votes, Ms. Maria said the people of Kanniyakumari had always lived together irrespective of religion, caste and race.
“Many festivals in the district be it of any religion -- Hindu, Muslim or Christian, have always involved everyone, but in recent times, politicians for their own mileage, have started targeting people based on their identity. Focusing only on votes and its strategies, they have failed to address the key issue of people like better livelihoods, development, job opportunities and security for fishermen, among others,” she said.
Ms. Maria notes that she could be called a fresh candidate, but candidates from other parties like the Congress and BJP would also be new to the people due to their absence on the ground. “My aim is to reach the public through people-benefitting ideas,” she noted.
If voted, Ms. Maria said, she would put her efforts into make one of the main produces of the district – honey, get a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
When asked whether she would be recognizable among the people, she expressed confidence in her work and the protests she has carried out for the welfare of the people.
“I would be the most deserving candidate as I have thrown away a lucrative job to serve the people and the district,” Ms. Maria added.
