Tamil Nadu assembly polls: DMDK releases candidates list

CHENNAI: Vijayakant-led DMDK, which is fighting the May 16 Assembly polls in alliance with People's Welfare Front, today released its list of candidates for 40 constituencies and the party has given tickets to several of its sitting MLAs including party's deputy leader in the outgoing Assembly.

Deputy Leader in the Assembly, Alagapuram R Mohanraj, will contest again from Salem West and sitting MLA Parthasarathy will fight from Virugambakkam once more.

Both of them won their respective seats in 2011 when their party was an ally of AIADMK.

DMDK has nominated party functionary K Geetha in Gumiddipoondi where expelled party rebel and leader of Makkal DMDK Sekar is in the fray as an ally of the DMK-led front.

Party treasurer AR Elangovan will contest from Omalur constituency.

Totally, the party is contesting from 104 constituencies and the rest is shared by other constituents of PWF--MDMK, CPI(M), CPI, TMC and VCK.

There are 234 assembly segments in Tamil Nadu.

Veteran DMK leader and former finance minister K Anbazhagan, a contemporary of party chief Karunanidhi in the party, will not contest the polls for the first time in over 50 years.

Likewise, former ministers Arcot N Veerasamy and Pongalur N Palanisamy, well known faces of the Karunanidhi Cabinet (2006-11), will also not contest the elections.

Party sources said they had declined to contest due to "personal reasons".

N K K P Raja, and sitting MLA Pushpa Leela Alban are among others who were denied tickets by the party.

New faces who will be contesting for the first time include R D Arasu (Cheyyur), Ambeth Kumar (Vandavasi), M K Mohan (Anna Nagar), C V M P Ezhilarasan (Kanchipuram), E Paranthaman (Poonamalle), K S Ravichandran (Egmore), and Thayagam Kavi Sivakumar (Thiru Vi Ka Nagar).

A party leader said at least 80 candidates are new faces.