Chennai: CPI (M) and CPI on Monday declared their candidates for all the 25 seats each to be contested by them while VCK released its first list of 11 candidates for May 16 Assembly polls.
According to the CPI (M) release, the party has fielded seven of the 10 sitting MLAs. The party has renominated its senior leaders A. Soundararajan in Perambur, K. Balakrishnan (Chidambaram), K. Thangavel (Tirupur South) and A. Lasar (Periyakulam). AIDWA national vice president and party Central Committee member U. Vasuki would contest in Madurai South while AIDWA state president Suganthi will fight the poll in Thiru. Vi. Ka Nagar seat.
Notably, CPI (M) has fielded Dindigul district secretary N. Pandi in the Dindigul assembly seat instead of the sitting and three-time MLA K. Balabarathi. “In our party, a person is allowed to hold two terms as MLA. Even in last election, party’s state secretariat gave an exception to Ms Balabarathi contest for the third time. Hence we have decided to nominate new candidate in that seat,” CPI (M) state secretary G. Ramakrishnan told DC.
In Puducherry, L Kalivaradan has been named nominee for Tirubuvanai-Reserved seat. In TR Pattinam, Lazpet, and Bagur, Mohammed Thameem Ansari, A. Anand and P. Sivagami will be the party nominees.
Like the Marxist party, CPI has given ticked to all its sitting seven MLAs. CPI’s legislative party leader M. Arumugham who contested from the Valparai reserved seat has switched to Avinashi reserved seat.
Sitting MLAs, S. Gunasekaran will fight again from Sivagangai seat, K. Ulaganathan from Thiruthuraipoondi (SC) seat, N. Nanjappan from Pennagaram and T. Ramachandran from Thalli seat.
In the city, the party has fielded S. Elumalai for Saidapet seat and A.S. Kannan in Madhavaram seat. Both CPI (M) and CPI has nominated three women candidates each. VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan declared candidates for the 11 seats to be contested by the party. Party’s general secretary Sinthanai Selvan will contest from Bhuvanagiri seat while deputy secretaries Aloor Sha Navas in Kunnam and S.S. Balaji in Mailam seats.
“We interviewed 140 aspirant who sought the party tickets to contest in 25 seats allotted to the party. We will release second list of candidates tomorrow,” he said, adding that many of his party candidates wanted him to contest from Kattumannarkoil assembly seat. “We have not taken a final decision. We will declare it tomorrow,” he said.
