2019 Lok Sabha polls: Congress releases list but silent on Sivagangai seat
CHENNAI: The Congress has announced candidates for eight out of nine Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu allotted to it in the seat-sharing pact with the DMK for the April 18 election. But he obvious miss on the list is its candidate for Sivagangai constituency, the stronghold of former union minister P Chidambaram. His son Karti had unsuccessfully contested from Sivagangai in the 2014 election.
AIADMK’s P. R. Senthilnathan won the seat in 2014 when his party swept the polls. Chidambaram had won from this constituency seven times. The ruling AIADMK has allotted this seat to the BJP, which has fielded its national secretary H. Raja. This constituency will see a straight contest between the BJP and the Congress which is part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.
The Congress has fielded veterans for the other seats.
The party has nominated its sitting legislator H. Vasanthakumar, recently appointed as one of the working presidents of the Tamil Nadu Congress, to Kanyakumari constituency to lock horns with Union minister of state for finance and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan from the BJP. Former TNCC chief EVKS Elangovan will fight from Theni, and he will take on Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s son P. Ravindranath from the AIADMK and Thangatamilselvan from Dhinakaran’s AMMK.
Announcing its first list of candidates, the party said former TNCC chief Su. Thirunavukkarasar will contest from Tiruchi. He was recently dropped from the position and replaced with K. S. Alagiri. The other candidates are: former Namakkal legislator K. Jayakumar will contest from Tiruvallur, A Chellakumar: Krishnagiri, Manickam Tagore Virudhunagar, TNCC working president Dr Vishnuprasad Arani and writer-politician Jothimani, making a debut, will contest against AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai in Karur. Party senior V. Vaithilingam will represent the lone Puducherry seat.
Former MLA A. Chellakumar is likely to face stiff competition from AIADMK veteran K. P. Munusamy.
The Congress has been allotted a total of 10 Lok Sabha seats - nine in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry seat, in the seat-sharing pact with the DMK.
