Thaindian News

Chennai, Oct 23 (IANS) Two days after her victory in Tamil Nadu’s civic elections, 102-year-old Thadagathi of Pudukulam village near Madurai in Tamil Nadu is eager to start work and is clear about what she wants for her electorate.

“The primary school in the village should be upgraded. The village streets should be cleaned and there should be bus service from Mattu Thavani to our village. The frequency of the existing bus services should also be increased,” Thadagathi, a widow, told IANS over phone Sunday.

As a midwife she helped women deliver babies. Now she has to labour to deliver on the civic front as perhaps the oldest elected people’s representative in the just-concluded civic polls.

Thadagathi, also known as Nattathi Ammal by villagers, defeated her two opponents nearly seven decades younger to her in the polls, winning over 50 percent of the votes polled in ward 184 in Pudukulam.

Knocking on every door in her ward, she asked for votes and it was difficult for the people to turn her plea down.

In these days of mega scams and land grab complaints Thadagathi promised people that she will not swindle public money or property.

“Many women voted for her. In fact it was the women power that made her win,” P. Paraman, a resident, told IANS.

Speaking to IANS, panchayat head P. Muthuramalingam said: “I had asked her to contest in the polls.”

Thadagathi had come to Pudukulam village as a child bride and since then she has been there.

Her younger opponents certainly had an uphill task to get the people to vote for them.

Even at her ripe old age, Thadagathi earns her wages from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

While her husband Perumal is no more, Thadagathi has two sons, three daughters and 10 grandchildren.

Thadagathi’s elder son P. Undupandi is a construction worker while her younger son P. Karuppu is a farm worker. Her daughters are all married.