Tamil Nadu election candidate promises helicopter, trip to moon, Rs 1 crore, but here's the catch

A mini-helicopter, annual deposit of Rs 1 crore, a three-storeyed house -- if such things were promised by a candidate in an election, would you vote for him/her? Independent candidate in Tamil Nadu, Thulam Saravanan, has promised these and much more, including a trip to the moon. His manifesto and outlandish promises have grabbed eyeballs and for good reason. That is what the 33-year-old was aiming for with his promises. He said that his aim is to raise awareness among people falling for freebies and to make the voters choose good candidates, instead of candidates with the most moolah.

"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," said Saravanan to NDTV. In actuality, Saravanan lives with his elderly parents. He borrowed Rs 20,000 deposit to file nomination papers.

Saravanan is an independent candidate from Madurai South constituency. Thirteen other candidates are in the fray for the seat. His poll symbol is a dustbin. His message to voters is that if they want to fall for promises that can never be met, they might as well throw their votes in a dustbin.

Among his list of freebies promised is a mini-helicopter, gold jewellery for weddings, three-storey house, robot to reduce workload of homemakers, boat for every family, 300-ft high artificial snow mountain to keep his constituency cool, a rocket launch pad and a space research centre.

He said that political parties are turning politics into a money spinner and neglecting the welfare of people. Saravanan alleged that politicians do not work while in office but try to lure voters with money around election.

The independent candidate said that he has no money for campaign and has sought help from friends and relatives to spread his message. "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," he said.

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