DMK names R S Bharathy as its candidate for Alandur bypoll

CHENNAI: DMK will face arch-rival AIADMK in the April 24 Alandur bypoll, fielding local strongman R S Bharathy, who is also the party's legal wing secretary.

DMK chief M Karunanidhi named Bharathi as the party's choice at a press conference here while announcing the list of 35 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

The by-election to the constituency will be held simultaneously with the Parliamentary polls.

AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa had last week announced V N P Venkataraman as her party nominee for the Alandur seat.

The bypoll was necessitated following the resignation of former DMDK leader 'Panrutty' S Ramachandran who had also quit the Vijayakanth-led party recently before joining AIADMK.

Bharathy, a former Chiarman of Alandur Municipality, had unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from South Chennai on a DMK ticket. He had lost to AIADMK's C Rajendran then.

DMK and AIADMK had earlier faced off in the Yercaud (ST) bypolls in December 2013, which the latter won.