TIRUCHY: In a move that caught cadres off guard, the AIADMK has allotted Tiruchy West to Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), pitching it against DMK heavyweight KN Nehru, who is aiming for a hat-trick victory in the constituency.
Observers point out that the absence of a strong local leader may have forced AIADMK to allot the seat to AMMK to take on its arch rival Nehru who has cemented his place in the constituency.
AMMK functionaries said they were actually expecting AIADMK to allocate Manapparai or Musiri, but Tiruchy West was a complete surprise. AMMK sources said the party may field either its Tiruchy south district secretary P Senthilnathan, or north unit district secretary M Rajasekharan. Both have been publicly critical of Nehru. Both of them can mount a serious challenge to him.
Senthilnathan, a former AIADMK functionary who joined AMMK in 2018, contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Tiruchy as part of the NDA and secured 1,00,747 votes. In the Tiruchy West Assembly segment, he polled around 19,700 votes, compared to AIADMK’s roughly 23,000. A resident of KK Nagar, he is a former councillor of Ward 47. Speaking to TNIE, Senthilnathan said “I have experience in local governance and contested in elections earlier.”
Former MLA of Thottiyam in 2006, M Rajasekharan who shifted to AMMK after his stint with the Congress and AIADMK, contested from Manachanallur in 2021 and from Perambalur in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. AIADMK sources said the alliance helps them bridge the leadership gap. “Together with AMMK, we have a solid vote base and can put up a strong fight against Nehru,” a functionary said.
The AIADMK is contesting from the other eight seats in the district. AIADMK candidates defeated Nehru twice between 2011 and 2021.