Meet the TN Candidate Who Is Prepared to Lose Election 2021
Deepan has been posting videos about the election process on his YouTube channel ‘Chennai Vlogger’.
Video Editor: Smitha TK
He was a journalist, vlogger and YouTuber. Now, he is an independent candidate contesting in Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2021. Introducing Deepan Chakkravarthi, a 30-year-old from a middle-class family, born and raised in Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.
In Namakkal, the battle is between All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (AIADMK) KPP Baskar and Dravidia Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) Ramalingam. Deepan is sure that he entered the race not to win.
“I want to use my journalistic knowledge and my vlogging skills to educate the youngsters of Tamil Nadu about the process of contesting in an election,” he told The Quint.
Deepan has been sharing descriptive videos on his YouTube page ‘Chennai Vlogger,’ which has over 2,61,000 subscribers. He has explained the eligibility criteria for becoming a candidate and shared details of the documents required to file a nomination. He has also shared how difficult it is for a person with no political background to gather support.
Unlike regular politicians who travel with huge fanfare in fancy trailers with cutouts, flags, drums and party men, Deepan is armed with a bike, GoPro and determination. He has visited several communities in the district and has urged them to extend their support to a fresh, enthusiastic face.
“As for my manifesto, I have only one big promise to the people of Namakkal: honest corruption-free governance,” he said.
While Deepan thinks that Dravidian politics, which has governed the state for over six decades, has the best understanding of social justice, women’s rights and empowerment, he believes that the DMK and the AIADMK should move away from ‘corruption and family politics’.
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