S.M. Nasar
Avadi Nasar was born on October 21, 1959. He completed his schooling in Government High School Avadi and has been the Avadi municipal chairman for more than 10 years. He always seen success in local body polls. As a student after joining DMK he had been an aggressive campaigner against the then Congress CM candidate Bakthavatchalam and since then he was gradually promoted in the party and is now the party Tiruvallur south district secretary.
Strength: Son of the soil and a popular politician with grassroot contacts, faces no major dissent within the party and enjoys warm rapport with DMK leader M. K. Stalin. He has been a councillor and chairman for more than a decade and is aware of the civic issues and infrastructure related to Avadi.
Weakness: First time he is contesting in assembly polls where the stakes are higher. He is facing Ma Fai Pandiarajan, an entrepreneur with money power, pitted by the ruling AIADMK.
Ma Foi Pandiarajan
K. Pandia Rajan was born on April 26, 1959 in a village near Sivakasi, Virudhunagar district. He lost his father when he was an infant and was brought up by his maternal grandparents. Pandiarajan an engineering graduate later graduated from XLRI in 1984. He founded Ma Foi management consultants and became popular among industry captains.
Strength: His command over English and Tamil is strong and is a popular spokesperson for the ruling AIADMK. He can connect with local traders and the educated voters.
Weakness: He is new to Avadi constituency and has to face the popular Nasar. The local AIADMK cadres are also disappointed with the party sidelining the state minister and incumbent MLA Abdul Rahim. He first joined BJP in 2000 and then shifted loyalty to DMDK to be elected as an MLA from his native Virudhunagar and now he is with ruling AIADMK.
X - Factor in the constituency: Andhari Das of the MDMK is quiet popular among middle-class voters and has always secured good votes in the previous Avadi municipal polls and can play spoilsport.
(Compiled by C.S. Kotteswaran)
