VIRUDHUNAGAR: In an expected move, dairy development minister KT Rajenthra Bhalaji, who successfully represented Sivakasi segment twice in the past, has switched to Rajapalayam this time.
“Anywhere other than Sivakasi” was his aim, said party sources, though the minister bargained hard for the Virudhunagar segment. Sources close to the minister said the bargain for Virudhunagar, and later Rajapalayam, stretched for weeks with the party leadership.
DMK, meanwhile, is likely to field S Thangapandian from Rajayapalayam, who won the 2016 elections securing an impressive 43.82 per cent votes. This is likely to make the fight a tough one for the incumbent minister. Sivakasi has witnessed multiple accidents in the recent past.