Resentment surfaces over Cong candidate's selection in TN

CHENNAI: A day after Congress announced candidates for the April 24 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu, resentment over selection of candidates reared its head with a group staging protest at the party headquarters here.

Supporters of aspiring candidate for Chidambaram seat, Maniratnam staged a protest at the Satyamurthy Bhavan here, criticising the selection of P Vallalperumal.

They also raised slogans against Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, suspecting that he had helped his supporter to get the ticket, but were later pacified by state unit President B S Gnanadesikan.

To enthuse the party which is facing the polls alone, the state unit has requested party president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to address election rallies in the state, Gnanadesikan told reporters.

"I have asked Rahul Gandhi for a road show but that depends on the security aspects," he said, adding the campaign schedule of the leaders was yet to be finalised.

Congress stalwarts including P Chidambaram and G K Vasan have opted out of the race as 30 party nominees, including six sitting MPs have been renominated.