DMK- AIADMK announce candidates for two by-elections

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Tuesday announced its candidates for Vandavasi and Tiruchendur constituencies, where by-polls are scheduled to be held on December 19. They are Kamalakannan and Anita Radhakrishnan, respectively.

The by-elections were necessitated following the death of Vandavasi’s sitting legislator Jayaraman (DMK) early this month and the resignation of Tiruchendur’s Anita Radhakrishnan, who switched sides from the AIADMK to the DMK. And he now gets the DMK ticket to contest the same seat.

The AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa had on Monday announced the party’s candidates. P Munusamy and Amman T Narayanan will contest from Vandavasi (SC) and Tiruchendur constituencies respectively on AIADMK tickets.

The two communist parties – Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) – have decided this time to extend support to AIADMK. Both had contested the August by-polls that were boycotted by AIADMK which said then the elections would not be free and fair.

The DMDK, led by Vijayakant, is yet to announce its candidates for the two constituencies while PMK leader S. Ramadoss wants an undertaking from Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi that the polls will be held in a fair manner for his party to contest.

The PMK, without being in alliance with either DMK or AIADMK, will find it an uphill task to take on the two parties as well as DMDK on its own. Hence it is dilly-dallying.

- Asian Tribune -