N Pugazhendhi, DMK treasurer of the Villupuram district unit, will be the party’s candidate for the Vikravandi bye-election candidate. Pugazhendi, who is contesting his first ever elections, was chosen after DMK President MK Stalin interviewed all the shortlisted candidates at the Anna Arivalayam on Tuesday morning.
Tamil Nadu will see bye-elections in Nanguneri and Vikravandi in Tamil Nadu, while the Kamaraj Nagar constituency in Puducherry will also go to bye-polls. The DMK-Congress alliance will field a DMK candidate from Vikravandi and a Congress candidate from Nanguneri. Congress will also contest in the Kamaraj Nagar constituency in Puducherry. The constituencies will go to polls on October 21.
Meanwhile, the ruling AIADMK is expected to announce their candidates on Tuesday. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who hold the posts of joint co-ordinator and co-ordinator cum party convenor respectively also interviewed candidates who submitted forms to contest in the elections on Monday. The AIADMK had entered an alliance with the PMK, DMDK, and BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections and bye-elections to 22 Assembly constituencies.
Other parties such as Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam have confirmed that they will not be contesting in these bye-elections.
Kamal was of the opinion that the bye-polls were just a power struggle between the ruling party (AIADMK) and the party that ruled prior to it (DMK) to retain their positions.
MNM will focus on forming a government in the state in the 2021 Assembly Elections.
Meanwhile, AMMK’s general secretary TTV Dhinakaran said that his party will not contest as they have not yet been assigned an official symbol by the Election Commission. The party refrained from contesting the Vellore Lok Sabha elections too, citing the same reason.
On Saturday, the Election Commission announced bye-elections to the Vikravandi, Nanguneri and Kamaraj Nagar constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry respectively.
Bye-elections in Nanguneri Assembly constituency are being held as the seat fell vacant after sitting MLA H Vasanthakumar of the Congress party was elected as MP from the Kanyakumari constituency. In Vikravandi, bye-elections are being held due to the death DMK MLA K Radhamani.
In Puducherry’s Kamaraj Nagar constituency, V Vaithialingam of the Congress party resigned from the post after he was elected as MP from Puducherry constituency in the Parliamentary elections.
The EC has stated that filing of nominations will begin on September 21 and end on September 30. Counting of votes will take place on October 24.
Source: The News Minute