After years of official and political neglect, Perambur has, this election season, become impossible to ignore. The spotlight returned to the constituency after a lull last May, when a fire swept through around 20 households (estimates range between 18 and 24) in Vyasarpadi. Just months later, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader K Armstrong was murdered in neighbouring Sembium, in the Kolathur constituency. Since then, attention has only intensified, peaking when Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor-turned-politician Vijay announced his candidature on March 29 and addressed voters here the very next day.
