Carved out of Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu in 1986, Tuticorin occupies a pride of place in the history of India's independence struggle.It has produced a rich crop of freedom fighters, from Veerapandia Kattabomman, who challenged the might of the British in the 18th century, to V. O. Chidambaram, doyen of the Swadeshi shipping movement. But the rain-shadowed area continues to reel under drought. The Lok Sabha poll will be held against the backdrop of scaled down agricultural activities, thanks to monsoon failure for the third successive year and the drying up of the Tamiraparani, lifeline of the district. But 70 per cent of the people depend on agriculture.