Veerappan's wife contesting polls

Pennagaram: Veerappan's widow stands as an independent candidate from Pennagaram, a small village in Tamil Nadu as she is contesting for the Assembly elections from Dharampuri district.

She is not an actor, a veteran politician, or a brilliant speaker. Yet, the mere mention of Pennagaram's candidate excites people. It's all in the surname of Muthulakshmi Veerappan.

In her campaign, she promises compensation to families affected by crimes allegedly committed by the special task force set up to nab Veerappan.

Muthulakshmi says, "In the name of catching my husband, the STF has raped many women like me, widowed many women. I need to help such affected people."

Residents of Penngaram say that for the last 50-55 years, this constituency has been largely ignored. But now, having Muthulakshmi contest from here has attracted some attention.

Veerappans wife has almost acquired a celebrity status in the village. People look at her with hope, admiration and praise. "I feel blessed to have been able to see her!" says a villager.

From the reaction of the locals it seems that all the sympathy votes would go in her hands. “Her husband is dead. She has two children. I feel bad for her," says Hamida, another villager.

And 33-year-old Muthulakshmi's image as the shy, quietly strong widow that is pulling at people's hearts.

Veerappan's exploits and crimes are well known in these parts, and his killing is a trophy the Jayalalithaa government often waves around. The brigand was also known to have strong political ambitions, and this is perhaps Muthulakshmi's way of carrying that forward.

So the election in Pennagaram will be a sign of whether Veerappan is seen as a villain or a hero.

So what if her dream to see Veerappan become a Chief Minister didn't materialize? Muthulakshmi Veerappan has decided to contest in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, as a sort of substitute. And going by the reaction from people she has met today, the sympathy vote is definitely in her hands.

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