Free iPhone, ₹1cr, trip to moon: TN candidate promises in poll manifesto

Chennai: As Tamil Nadu is gearing up for its assembly elections, a candidate has literally promised the moon to people in case he wins the polls. Thulam Saravanan's list of promises includes a mini-helicopter, an annual deposit of ₹ one crore for every home, gold jewellery for weddings, a three-storey house and a trip to the moon.

Saravanan is an independent candidate contesting from the Madurai South constituency. The promises he made on his manifesto have grabbed the attention of the constituency.

He has also promised a robot to reduce the workload of housewives, a boat for every family, a 300-foot high artificial snow mountain to keep the constituency cool, a space research centre and a rocket launch pad.

"My aim is to raise awareness against people falling for freebies by political parties. I want them to choose good candidates who are ordinary humble people," Saravanan told NDTV.

He slammed political parties for not working for the welfare of people. He said that politicians "try to lure people by throwing money at them and not letting them decide properly".

Netizens who came across Saravanan's manifesto online believed that he was doing it for parody. One user said, "His poll promises deliberately mocking the freebies of major parties."

The 33-year-old candidate took a loan of Rs 20,000 for election expenditure. Saravanan's friends and relatives are helping him spread his message. However, he added, "But my WhatsApp message has gone viral and people are thinking about my tall promises and the thought behind it. That is my victory though I may not win."

The Tamil Nadu assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2.

The term of the fifteenth Legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu is ending on May 2, 2021. As many as 6,28,23,749 electors will choose candidates for the sixteenth legislative assembly in Tamil Nadu.