Chennai: Doctors in the fray are turning years of patient care into voter outreach, building campaigns around families they have treated and networks formed through practice.DMK has the highest number of doctors in its list at about 15, followed by TVK with about 11 and AIADMK with five. Other doctors in the contest include Tamilisai Soundararajan from BJP and A Chellakumar from Congress in Krishnagiri. In Tambaram, DMK candidate Kiruthika Devi, a gynaecologist, said she has been practising for more than three decades. “Many of the babies I delivered are now eligible to vote, and their families are coming forward to support me during my campaign,” she said.Avinashi’s DMK candidate Kokila Mani, who resigned from govt service to contest, is also a doctor. Former health minister C Vijayabaskar of AIADMK brought his daughter to campaign on Friday, where she told voters that his clinic is open to patients, running parallel to his political work. In TVK, candidates such as Arun Raj in Tiruchengode and Prem Lawrence in Colachel rely on their practice and health camps to reach voters during door-to-door outreach. “I worked at a primary health centre for five years before joining the IRS, but people in rural areas still remember me. When you treat someone in pain, they don’t forget you. I still meet patients who call me by name. I miss my practice, so I continue to do basic checks at health camps to stay connected,” said Arun Raj. “Unlike other professionals such as advocates or engineers, doctors build a relationship that goes beyond a transaction. They see patients at vulnerable moments, relieve pain, and often follow up over years. That creates a connection at the family level, not just the individual,” said poll observer D Sathyakumaran. “In elections, that memory can translate into trust and support because voters associate the candidate with care they have personally experienced,” he added“When a doctor enters the fray, it is not just about that individual. There is a network of doctors in the area who know the candidate and often speak about them to patients,” said Dr Anand Kumar from Thanjavur, who contested in the 2006 elections. He added, “Sometimes they canvass directly, but even otherwise, conversations in clinics help carry the message. Patients trust what their doctors say, so word of mouth spreads quickly across neighbourhoods”.
