Chennai: The enhanced strength of the DMDK as part of the AIADMK-led alliance that includes the PMK and the BJP will be on test in Kallakurichi constituency in the April 18 Lok Sabha polls. The seat held by AIADMK MP, K. Kamaraj, has been ceded to DMDK in their alliance pact.
Despite his defeat in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, L.K. Sudheesh, DMDK deputy general secretary and party’s founder Vijayakanth’s brother-in-law,
will contest for the second time from Kallakurichi. The fact that he is part of the AIADMK-led NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu, has apparently emboldened him to make a renewed bid. This seat is considered a safe bet for the AIADMK alliance.
Apart from Sudheesh, other candidates in the list declared by the DMDK on Monday are senior leader R. Azhagarsamy for Virudhunagar, Salem North MLA R. Mohanraj for Chennai North and the party’s presidium chairman Dr V. Ilangovan for Tiruchirappally. These three leaders, however, were not contestants in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when DMDK was part of the NDA.
While the DMDK will face the DMK in two seats, their fight in the remaining two is against the Congress. It could be a tough battle for the Captain’s army in all the four constituencies for multiple reasons.
“We are happy and we are confident as all the four constituencies allotted to us are among the seats that we precisely wanted to contest,” Sudheesh said. He feels particularly confident about his Kallakurichi seat as brother-in-law Vijayakanth is said to be still popular in this region and teaming up with the AIADMK-PMK is expected to help. He had polled over one lakh votes in 2009, which was 15.47 per cent of the total number of votes in the constituency, though he came third after the AIADMK and the PMK candidates. The one big challenge for the DMDK’s prince would be the rival DMK’s choice to field former minister Ponmudi’s son D. Gowtham Sigamani as the party candidate at Kallakurichi.
Ponmudi, among the close associates of late M Karunanidhi, will take this as a personal challenge to demonstrate his clout in the region and reestablish his senior position in the DMK 's new dispensation.
As far as Virudhunagar is concerned, the DMDK is likely to fight against Congress' Manicka Tagore, a strong candidate who won the 2009 elections with over three lakh votes.
In North Chennai, the DMDK will have to face the DMK's Kalanidhi Veerasami, son of former Minister Arcot N Veerasami, another close associate of Karunanidhi.
The constituency is traditionally a DMK bastion with the party having won 10 Lok Sabha elections there.
The DMDK has consistently scored the third place in Tiruchirappalli in terms of vote share in the 2009 and 2014 Elections.
While there is expectation that Ilangovan will face the former TNCC chief EVKS Elangovan — the DMK had allotted the seat to the Congress — there is also speculation that party chief Rahul Gandhi has told EVKS and KV Thangabalu they should not insist on seats and must focus on campaigning across the state.
In any case, the Congress' list is likely to be announced on Wednesday or Thurs-day.
