In trying to connect with voters, Tamil Nadu's Palaniswami goes the MGR way

EPS is trying to strengthen his rural base, which was once strong for the AIADMK

If you want to win hearts and connect with the voters, you need to be like actor-turned-politician and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran (MGR).

During his travel to the hinterland in the 1970s, MGR used to get out of his car into the farmlands, hug workers, and play with children. This strategy clicked and he remained chief minister for 10 years until his death in 1987.

The current chief minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), is adopting a similar strategy. The self-proclaimed farmer stops his car and starts planting rice, drives a bullock cart to public events and stops his