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From: sri
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=DMK+may+have+the+last+laugh+in+Kumari&artid=AfeQlLPxEbU=&SectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw==&SEO=
DMK may have the last laugh in Kumari
G Babu JayakumarFirst Published : 13 May 2009 04:03:00 AM ISTLast
Updated : 13 May 2009 06:56:08 AM ISTCHENNAI: In an eleventh hour
swing, DMK's Helen Davidson could emerge victorious from Kanyakumari
constituency as many churches in the district have identified her,
during Sunday worship, as the candidate for their congregations to
vote for.
Though Christian candidates traditionally had an edge in the
communally polarised district, BJP's Pon Radhakrishnan intitially had
a bright chance of cornering the seat as the Christian vote bank was
expected to split into three. Radhakrishnan's opponents were three
Christians - A V Bellarmine of the CPM, S Austin of the DMDK and Helen
Davidson.
But then, the Sunday service in the various churches across the
district seemed to have turned voters in favour of the DMK. While most
Catholic churches have openly declared Helen Davidson, who is also a
Catholic, as their favoured candidate - not the other Catholic,
Bellarmine - to clear the doubts of the community, some pentecostal
congregations were told by preachers to vote for her.
Besides that, directions were given from many protestant CSI church
pulpits, too, to the faithful to favour the candidate of the 'secular
front.' A few pastors are said to have named her and some have even
identified the DMK's election symbol- the 'rising sun.' Till Sunday,
it was thought that since Helen Davidson is a Roman Catholic, the
dominant community of CSI Christian Nadars might favour Austin, who is
one of them and had been an MLA and Rajya Sabha MP. It was also
beleived that the resentment among Congress workers and the general
public over the constituency not being allotted to the Congress party
could turn voters against the DMK. Since Radhakrishnan, who was MP
between 1999 and 2004, had endeared himself to sections of Christians
through his 'soft nature,' many felt that a large section of CSI
Christians would vote for him.
On earlier occassions, too, candidates from the Christian community
had benefitted from such announcements.
From: sri
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=DMK+may+have+the+last+laugh+in+Kumari&artid=AfeQlLPxEbU=&SectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw==&SEO=
DMK may have the last laugh in Kumari
G Babu JayakumarFirst Published : 13 May 2009 04:03:00 AM ISTLast
Updated : 13 May 2009 06:56:08 AM ISTCHENNAI: In an eleventh hour
swing, DMK's Helen Davidson could emerge victorious from Kanyakumari
constituency as many churches in the district have identified her,
during Sunday worship, as the candidate for their congregations to
vote for.
Though Christian candidates traditionally had an edge in the
communally polarised district, BJP's Pon Radhakrishnan intitially had
a bright chance of cornering the seat as the Christian vote bank was
expected to split into three. Radhakrishnan's opponents were three
Christians - A V Bellarmine of the CPM, S Austin of the DMDK and Helen
Davidson.
But then, the Sunday service in the various churches across the
district seemed to have turned voters in favour of the DMK. While most
Catholic churches have openly declared Helen Davidson, who is also a
Catholic, as their favoured candidate - not the other Catholic,
Bellarmine - to clear the doubts of the community, some pentecostal
congregations were told by preachers to vote for her.
Besides that, directions were given from many protestant CSI church
pulpits, too, to the faithful to favour the candidate of the 'secular
front.' A few pastors are said to have named her and some have even
identified the DMK's election symbol- the 'rising sun.' Till Sunday,
it was thought that since Helen Davidson is a Roman Catholic, the
dominant community of CSI Christian Nadars might favour Austin, who is
one of them and had been an MLA and Rajya Sabha MP. It was also
beleived that the resentment among Congress workers and the general
public over the constituency not being allotted to the Congress party
could turn voters against the DMK. Since Radhakrishnan, who was MP
between 1999 and 2004, had endeared himself to sections of Christians
through his 'soft nature,' many felt that a large section of CSI
Christians would vote for him.
On earlier occassions, too, candidates from the Christian community
had benefitted from such announcements.
1 comment:
Churches can tell their flocks to vote Christian. Mullahs can tell their candidates to vote for those who will work for Muslim interests. Neither can be called communal or divisive. Only when votes are asked for Hindu candidates for safeguarding Hindu interests, well; there is no bigger sin one can commit.
Or so we are made to believe.
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