In over 10 constituencies, there will be a direct fight between the ruling DMK and the main Opposition AIADMK.
"If the One Nation One Election electoral process is implemented, development will be the main focus of governance rather than populist schemes announced mid-way just for the sake of winning elections" says Palaniswami
Tamil Nadu’s main Opposition AIADMK on Thursday, 21 March. released its final list of 16 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and also named its candidate for the lone Puducherry Parliamentary constituency.
The AIADMK has completed the exercise of naming nominees and allotting seats to allies, and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is all set to launch his election campaign from Tiruchirappalli on 24 March.
In total, the AIADMK will contest in 32 segments and it has allotted seven constituencies to allies, the DMDK, Puthiya Tamizhagam and SDPI. Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha constituencies.
For the Tirunelveli seat, EPS announced Simla Muthuchozhan who was formerly with the DMK. She had unsuccessfully contested in 2016 against late AIADMK matriarch J Jayalalithaa from the RK Nagar Assembly constituency.
Daughter-in-law of former DMK leader SP Sarguna Pandian, Muthuchozhan joined the AIADMK recently. An advocate, she is also the only woman candidate announced by the AIADMK for the Lok Sabha polls.
For the Vilavancode Assembly by-poll, the main Opposition party has named a woman candidate.
The ruling DMK, out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, it is contesting, has given tickets to three women candidates. Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), Tamizhachi Thangapandian (South Chennai) and Rani Sri Kumar (Tenkasi-Reserved).
Palaniswami named G Premkumar, a medical doctor, as his party candidate for Sriperumbudur and S Pasupathi, also a doctor for the Vellore seat.
The ruling DMK has named veteran leader TR Baalu and Kathir Anand, son of top leader and Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan for Sriperumbudur and Vellore constituencies respectively.
The AIADMK top leader named G Tamizhvendan and U Rani for the Puducherry Lok Sabha seat and Vilavancode Assembly constituency respectively.
Bypoll to the Vilavancode segment in Kanniyakumari district will be held on 19 April alongside the Lok Sabha polls. The vacancy was caused due to the resignation of Vijayadharani, who joined the BJP after quitting her MLA post.
Besides Sriperumbudur and Vellore, EPS announced candidates for the Lok Sabha segments of Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Tirupur, Nilgiris (SC), Coimbatore, Pollachi, Tiruchirappalli, Perambalur, Mayiladuthurai, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari.
In the first list released on Wednesday, 20 March, Palaniswami named nominees for 16 constituencies. It includes former MP J Jayavardhan (Chennai South) and ex-MLA, Dr P Saravanan (Madurai).
The party had also finalised seat-sharing arrangements for the Lok Sabha polls with allies the DMDK, the SDPI, and the Puthiya Tamizhagam (PT).
Announcing the electoral pacts at the party headquarters in Chennai on Wednesday, EPS said the DMDK would contest from the Tiruvallur (SC), Central Chennai, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, and Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituencies.
The PT has been allocated the Tenkasi constituency and the SDPI the Dindigul segment, Palaniswami said.
The poll pacts were signed with DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth, PT chief K Krishansamy, and the SDPI’s state unit chief Nellai Mubarak.
For the DMDK, which was founded by actor-politician ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth in 2005, this would be his party’s first election after his death on 28 December last year.
(With PTI inputs)
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