Pudukkottai, November 2: More than 14,000 people in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district are set to receive government welfare assistance exceeding ₹100 crore, as Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay visits the district to distribute benefits and inaugurate infrastructure projects, including a new bus stand and an indoor sports stadium.
The distribution will take place at a government function at the Armed Reserve Police grounds. The Chief Minister will also formally open a modern bus stand constructed at a cost of ₹23.25 crore and dedicate the facility to public use. Another major project on the inauguration schedule is a multipurpose indoor sports stadium built for ₹8 crore.
The programme will also include the inauguration of other completed infrastructure projects and the launch of fresh development works. The welfare distribution will bring together beneficiaries covered under various government schemes.
Vijay is scheduled to fly from Chennai to Tiruchirappalli on Monday morning before travelling by road to Pudukkottai. His itinerary includes a four-kilometre journey through the town before he attends the government function. After completing the engagements, he will return by road to Tiruchirappalli and board a flight to Chennai.
The district administration has deployed 4,000 police personnel for security arrangements during the visit.
The programme also carries political significance as Tamil Nadu awaits decisions on five vacant Assembly constituencies, including Viralimalai, which falls within Pudukkottai district. The other vacant seats are Karur, Ambasamudram, Perundurai and Tiruchirappalli East, which Vijay relinquished after winning the Assembly election.
The vacancies arose after AIADMK legislators resigned and joined Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), while Vijay vacated Tiruchirappalli East. TVK subsequently won the by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, two other constituencies that had fallen vacant.
However, the Election Commission has not announced a schedule for the remaining five seats. The Madras High Court has restrained the Commission from notifying these by-elections while election petitions challenging the results remain pending.
Vijay’s TVK leads the coalition government after emerging as the largest party in the Assembly election. With one of the five pending constituencies located in Pudukkottai district, the Chief Minister’s visit comes amid continued uncertainty over the timing of the next round of electoral contests.
The official programme remains centred on welfare distribution and the opening of completed public infrastructure projects.
