MADURAI: The incumbent DMK MLA from Thiruparankundram constituency, P Saravanan, joined the BJP in the presence of the saffron party's state president L Murugan in Chennai here on Sunday.
Saravanan, who won in the Tirupparankundram bypolls, was denied the ticket to contest in the upcoming Assembly polls by DMK. His supporters staged a protest condemning it. However, his constituency was allocated to CPM where SK Ponnuthai is to contest against AIADMK's incumbent MLA VV Rajan Chellappa. Meanwhile, AIADMK has allocated the Madurai North constituency to BJP for which the candidate is yet to be announced. Notably, of the three incumbent DMK MLA's in Madurai, two others retained their constituencies, while only Saravanan was denied the ticket.
Addressing the media persons, Saravanan said, "I came out of DMK because I could not tolerate the silent tortures given by district secretaries. They made sure I was not given a ticket by saying the party heads that CPM has a stronghold in Tirupparankundram, while they never sought for the constituency. Even today, the people of the constituency are sure to make me win and are asking me to contest independently. I did not come to politics to earn money but I see it only as an extended service. As there was a hindrance to it, I came out of it." He further added that he did not join BJP to earn a ticket to contest in the upcoming polls.
Over five years ago when he was the Madurai Rural Unit Secretary of MDMK, on a similar occasion he joined DMK as be was denied the ticket to contest the polls by MDMK.