NEW DELHI: The Royapuram meeting constituency in north Chennai has emerged as a key political battleground forward of the Tamil Nadu meeting elections on April 23, with counting scheduled for Could 4. Lengthy thought-about an AIADMK stronghold below veteran chief D Jayakumar for over three a long time, Royapuram swung to the DMK in 2021 when Idream R Murthy secured a decisive win, reshaping its political panorama. For the upcoming polls, the DMK has fielded orthopedic surgeon Dr A Subair Khan, son of late get together chief A Rahman Khan, to retain the seat. He faces a tricky problem from Jayakumar, a six-time MLA looking for to reclaim his former bastion, banking on his long-standing ties with the coastal group as a former fisheries minister. Jayakumar had completed runner-up in 2021, dropping to Murthy, who secured 53.16% of the vote and a victory margin of over 27,000. In 2016, nevertheless, Jayakumar had gained the seat with 55,205 votes and a margin of 6.57%. The competition additionally consists of TV Somu of actor-politician Vijay’s TVK and Babumailan of the NTK. Royapuram: House to fishing communities Royapuram has traditionally been a working-class hub, house to fishing communities, port staff and small merchants. For a lot of residents, particularly fishermen, electoral issues transcend visibility, specializing in livelihood points similar to higher entry to markets and steady incomes. The constituency additionally faces vital city challenges. Residents continuously cite extreme air and mud air pollution attributable to heavy freight motion, persistent visitors congestion close to the Royapuram bridge, and recurring sewage contamination in ingesting water. These points have made infrastructure and environmental well being central to the present election discourse.(With ANI inputs)