Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa to contest again from RK Nagar, AIADMK candidates list out

CHENNAI: Stealing a march over arch rival DMK, the ruling AIADMK today released its list of 227 candidates for the May 16 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is all set to seek re-election from R K Nagar constituency.

Allotting seven seats to smaller allies, AIADMK General Secretary Jayalalithaa today released the list naming candidates for the rest of 227 seats for which she held interviews for ticket aspirants from across Tamil Nadu in the past two weeks.

Her confidant and Finance Minister O Panneerselvam, Electricity Minister Natham R Viswanathan, Housing Minister R Vaithlingam, Handloom Minister Gokula Indira and Minister for Social Welfare B Valarmathi are among the Ministers who have been re-nominated.

S P Velumani, Sellur K Raju, RB Udayakumar, and K T Rajendrabalaji - also sitting Ministers- and Assembly Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman and former DGP of Tamil Nadu R Natraj also figure in the list.

K Pandiarajan, a rebel DMDK MLA who joined the AIADMK after the conclusion of the last Assembly session has also been named.

Allies Indian Republican Party, AISMK, Tamil Nadu Kongu Ilangyar Peravai, Tamil Manila Muslim League and Mukkulathor Pulipadai have all been allotted one seat each and Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi, a splinter outfit of MMK has been given two seats. She held talks with with them prior to the announcement.

AIADMK's arch rival DMK, which just concluded seat sharing with Congress and smaller allies, is expected to announce its candidates later.
Including Jayalalithaa, 17 ministers will contest polls again, while 10 were denied tickets.

The Ministers who have not been given party tickets are P Mohan, S Sundararaj, S P Shanmuganathan, P Palaniappan, N Subramnian, Jayapal, Mukkur N Subramanian, MSM Anandan, TP Poonachi and S Abdul Rahim.

Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, and P Vetrivel who vacated his seat to facilitate Jayalalithaa to contest in RK Nagar last year have also been named in the list.

Partihi Ilamvazhuthi, who switched sides to AIADMK years ago from DMK, will seek his fortune in this election.

Former ministers including C V Shanmugam, KA Sengottaiyan, Senthil Balaji, KP Munusamy, C Ponnaiyanm, former Assembly Speaker D Jayakumar, former Lok Sabha MP Chitlapakkam Rajenran, veteran politician Panruti S Ramachandran who reverted to AIADMK after a stint in DMDK and several professionals including doctors, and advocates have also been named.

Also, AIADMK named candidates for all the 30 constituencies in Puducherry including seven seats in Karikkal, Mahe and Yanam. Seven candidates were also named in Kerala by the party in regions close to Tamil Nadu.

Nominees were named in Tiruvananthapuram District, Chitoor, Malampuzha and Nemmara (all in Palakkad District), Peermedu, Udumbanchozha, Devikulam (in Idukki district).

AIADMK had won a few seats in such areas in the civic polls held last year.