Chennai, March 25 – The main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, which leads the NDA in the state, on Wednesday released its first list of 23 candidates for the April 23 Assembly elections. The list includes party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami and a number of former ministers from their traditional constituencies.
Palaniswami, the Leader of the Opposition, is contesting from his home constituency of Edappadi in Salem district. The party has also fielded MLAs and former legislators from other constituencies.
Former Minister and prominent Chennai city leader, D Jayakumar, will contest from Royapuram in north Chennai. Rajya Sabha MP C Ve Shanmugam, who is also an ex-minister, will contest from Mailam in Villupuram. Health Minister during the AIADMK regime, C Vijayabaskar, who is also an MLA, will contest from Viralimalai.
The AIADMK has retained key leaders K P Munusamy and Dindigul C Sreenivasan, both MLAs, and fielded them from their respective constituencies of Veppanahalli (Krishnagiri) and Dindigul. Both are also former ministers.
Senior leader and legislator Natham R Viswanathan will contest from Natham constituency in Dindigul district. The party has also nominated star leaders from the western region, former ministers SP Velumani and P Thangamani, from their respective constituencies of Thondamuthur and Kumarapalayam.
Legislators Sellur K Raju and KP Anbalagan will contest from Madurai-West and Palacode. Leaders from the Cauvery delta region, R Kamaraj and OS Manian, will contest from Nannilam and Vedaranyam.
Former ministers Kadambur C Raju (MLA) and RB Udhayakumar (Deputy Leader of Opposition) have been nominated from Kovilpatti and Thirumangalam.
KT Rajenthra Bhalaji, a well-known leader from Virudhunagar district, who has faced allegations of scam/job racket cases, will contest from Sivakasi. P Benjamin, Agri SS Krishnamurthy (MLA), VV Rajan Chellappa (MLA), KC Karuppannan (MLA), KC Veeramani, MR Vijayabaskar and Thamarai S Rajendran are also in the list.
Former ministers including Veeramani and Vijayabaskar face disproportionate asset charges filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.
Although the Tamil nationalist NTK had already released its list of candidates for all 234 seats, the AIADMK is the first major party in the state to release its list, although partially.
The AIADMK has allocated 27 seats to the BJP, 18 to the PMK, 11 to the AMMK, 5 to the TMC (M), 2 to the Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi, 1 seat each to the Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and Puratchi Bharatham – thus allocating 65 seats out of 234 Assembly constituencies in the state.
The AIADMK has secured a significant share of seats, accounting for 169. Palaniswami finalized the seat-sharing arrangement with seven political parties in two days, starting from March 23. Today, he announced the constituencies from where the constituents would contest.
According to the list, the BJP will contest from Mylapore, Thalli, Modakurichi, Udhagamandalam, Avinashi, Tirupur (South), Coimbatore (North), Kandarvakottai, Pudukottai, Thiruppathur, Madurai (South), Sattur, Tiruchendur, Vasudevanallur, Radhapuram, Nagercoil, Vilavancode, Avadi, Tiruvannamalai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Aranthangi, Manamadurai, Ramanathapuram, Colachel, Padmanabhapuram, and Rasipuram.
The PMK has been allocated Salem (West), Dharmapuri, Pennagaram, Vikravandi, Sholinghur, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruporur, Uthiramerur, Jayankondam, Polur, Gingee, Virudhachalam, Rishivandhiyam, Kattumannarkoil, Kilvelur, Perambur, Salem (North), and Ambattur.
The AMMK will contest from Periyakulam, Mannargudi, Thiruvaiyaru, Karaikudi, Tirupattur, Nanguneri, Ottapidaram, Tiruchirappalli (West), Saidapet, Ponnamallee and Madurantakam.
The TMC (M) has been allocated Oddanchatram, Erode (West), Ranipet, Killiyoor, and Kumbakonam constituencies.
The IJK has been given Pallavaram and Kunnam constituencies to contest, while Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and Puratchi Bharatham have been allocated the Rajapalayam and Kilvaithinankuppam constituencies.
At the end of a three-day intensive campaign, Palaniswami announced that he would contest from Edappadi, his home constituency, for the sixth time. He is seeking re-election from Edappadi constituency for the sixth time.
He made a surprise announcement by finalizing the seat-sharing arrangement with major allies – the BJP, PMK and AMMK on March 23, announced a 297-point election manifesto for the Assembly election, and on Wednesday announced the first list of his party candidates, in apparent effort to enthuse the party cadres to work with renewed vigour to take on the 21-party Secular Progressive Alliance, led by the DMK.
His quick move came even as rival DMK, which has finalized seat-sharing with its allies, is yet to release its manifesto or announce its candidates.
Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS, served as the seventh Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 2017 to 2021.
The 71-year-old Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly has been representing the Edappadi Assembly constituency since 2011 as MLA and previously from 1989 to 1996.
He was elected as MP from Tiruchengode in the 1998 Lok Sabha election. He had been the highways and minor ports minister in the Jayalalithaa cabinet, and also served as public works minister.
He is the general secretary of AIADMK since March 2023. He entered politics in 1974, enrolling as a volunteer in the AIADMK and gradually rose up in ranks to become general secretary.
Jayakumar, a former Speaker, is contesting from his home constituency, Royapuram in the city from where he was elected for five terms.