As per the procession, a man named Umesh carried the statue of the rain god and marched through the streets of Maddur town.

Battling it out are two high-profile candidates— DMK’s A Raja and BJP’s L Murugan. Raja, a native of Perambalur district, is the sitting MP from Nilgiris. He won during the 2009 general polls but lost in 2014 when his image and prospects were battered by the 2G scam that continued to rage then.

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