Chennai, March 25 – Seeking to gain an advantage over its rival, the DMK, the opposition AIADMK announced its first list of candidates for the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly election on Wednesday. Its general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami, is seeking re-election from the Edappadi constituency for the sixth time, while a number of former ministers are contesting from their traditional constituencies.
After a three-day period of intense activity, Palaniswami announced that he would contest from Edappadi, his home constituency, once again.
He surprised everyone by finalizing the seat-sharing arrangements with major allies – the BJP, PMK, and AMMK – on March 23, announcing a 297-point election manifesto for the Assembly election, and on Wednesday, announced the first list of his party's candidates, seemingly aiming to motivate the party's cadre to work with renewed vigor to take on the 21-party Secular Progressive Alliance, led by the DMK.
This quick move came even as the rival DMK, which has finalized seat-sharing arrangements with its allies, has yet to release its manifesto or announce its candidates.
On Wednesday, the AIADMK chief also announced the constituencies allocated to its allies as part of the seat-sharing deal.
Edappadi K 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 an MLA, and previously from 1989 to 1996.
He was elected as a Member of Parliament 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 the public works minister.
He is the general secretary of AIADMK since March 2023. Born in Salem district, where the Edappadi constituency falls, Palaniswami hails from an agrarian family and identifies himself as a farmer. He entered politics in 1974, enrolling as a volunteer in the AIADMK and gradually rose in ranks to become general secretary.
K P Munusamy, AIADMK deputy general secretary, has been fielded from Veppanahalli. He has been the Municipal Administration and Rural Development minister in the Jayalalithaa cabinet, and had also been the party's Rajya Sabha MP (2020–2021) before resigning to take his seat in the state assembly after the 2021 elections.
He commands considerable influence in the Krishnagiri district, where he has contested successfully in the past from Kaveripattinam, Krishnagiri, and Veppanahalli.
D Jayakumar, a former state minister who has been the TN Assembly Speaker, is contesting from his home constituency, Royapuram in the city from where he was elected in the 1991, 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016 elections for five terms. He unsuccessfully contested in the 2021 election. He serves as AIADMK organising secretary.
The party's Rajya Sabha MP C Ve Shanmugam, who is known for making controversial remarks, is a four-time MLA and senior leader in the party. He was previously elected to the Tindivanam constituency in the 2001 and 2006 elections and had been Minister of Education, Law and Commercial Taxes from 2003 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2013 in the Jayalalitha Cabinet. He has been fielded from Mailam.
C Vijayabaskar, a medical doctor by profession, is seeking re-election from Viralimalai. He was the former health minister and has represented the Viralimalai constituency in 2011, 2016 and 2021 elections and was previously elected from the Pudukkottai constituency in 2001.
Dindigul C Sreenivasan has been elected from Dindigul in 2016 and 2021 elections. He is the treasurer of the AIADMK. He served as Minister for Forests from 2016 to 2021.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Dindigul constituency as an AIADMK candidate in the general elections of 1989, 1991, 1998 and 1999 in Tamil Nadu.
Natham R Viswanathan, deputy general secretary of the party, had been electricity and prohibition minister. He was elected from the Natham constituency in 1999 and won consecutively in 2001, 2006 and 2011 elections. He has been renominated.
S P Velumani, currently MLA from Thondamuthur Assembly constituency, has been renominated. He won the Assembly elections in 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021. He was previously the Minister for Municipal Administration, Rural Development, Law and Implementation of Special Programme. He is currently serving as the headquarters secretary of AIADMK.
Former state minister P Thangamani, incumbent legislator from Kumarapalayam constituency, was previously elected from Kumarapalayam constituency in 2011 and 2016 where he is contesting again.
Another former state minister Sellur K Raju has been renominated from Madurai West constituency, from where he won in 2011, 2016 and 2021. He first won from the Madurai West constituency in 2011 election.
K P Anbalagan, former higher education minister, a five-term MLA, has been fielded from Palacode where he registered his first victory in 2001.