CHENNAI: The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), which is part of the DMK- led ‘Secular Progressive Alliance’, will contest the upcoming parliamentary elections from two reserved constituencies on two different symbols.
The party chief Thol Thirumavalavan on Sunday here said he would contest from the Chidambaram parliamentary constituency on an independent symbol while the party’s another candidate fielded for Villupuram, writer D Ravikumar, will contest on the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol.
He also named 10 candidates to contest in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala for the Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to reporters, Thirumavalavan alleged that the Election Commission was delaying the allotment of an independent symbol for a month without citing any reason. “Even as time is nearing to launch election campaign, the Election Commission has now asked for the list of symbols to be allotted,” he said.
He added that symbols sought by the party were allotted to others. “Earlier we asked for a ring, then a diamond, then a jackfruit, but all of them were allotted to the others. Now they have asked another list of symbols from us,” he said.
Thirumavalavan will take on the AIADMK in Chidambaram and Ravikumar the PMK in Villupuram. Both are reserved constituencies.
Thiruvamavalavan was first elected as MP in 2009 from Chidambaram as part of the UPA alliance. However, in 2014 he lost the Lok Sabha elections to the AIADMK candidate by a huge margin of over one lakh votes. The VCK was then a part of the DMK alliance. The VCK leader’s first attempt to become MP from Chidambaram failed in 1999. D Ravikumar, known as writer and Dalit ideologue is the editor of the magazine, Nirapirikai.