She is expected to campaign at Illayankudi and Cumbum in the next two days.

On the Congress side, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and the state Congress Chief K.V. Thankabalu are on the campaign trail.

Communist leaders D. Pandian of the CPI, N. Varadarajan of the CPI-M and others are canvassing for their candidates in Thondamathur, Cumbum, Srivaikundam and Bargur.

Meanwhile, charges of money being distributed to attract voters have started flying thick and fast.

Earlier DMK's organising secretary for southern Tamil Nadu districts and union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers M.K. Alagiri had announced a prize of 25 sovereign gold chains for district secretaries who get the party candidates the highest votes.

Alagiri said the chain will be presented from his own funds.

A similar award was announced by Congress leader Thankabalu for his party district secretaries.

The DMK party cadres are targeting the votes of AIADMK sympathisers and cadres even though the AIADMK has asked its party men not to cast their votes.

The ruling party wants to increase the percentage of votes polled to show that people in large numbers are not in favour of the AIADMK's poll boycott call and its cadres are approaching every household in all the five constituencies to ensure that people would vote.

As in the Lok Sabha elections, ruling DMK-Congress combine leaders are betting on the free colour television, one rupee a kg rice and other such schemes to fetch them votes.