COIMBATORE: Supporters of DMK were unhappy over the choice of candidates for the Thondamuthur and Mettupalayam constituencies.
The opposition was more evident in the Mettupalayam constituency as a large number of supporters, including women, pacified TR Shanmugasundaram when he cried after he was not selected for Mettupalayam constituency, at his house in Tholampalayam Road in Karamadai. On Saturday, CM Stalin announced Kavitha Kalyanasundaram as the DMK candidate for Mettupalayam constituency.
Meanwhile, supporters of TRS gathered at his house and raised slogans seeking to allot the seat for him. Fondly called TRS, he provided sarees and dhothis along with utensils and other things to the people of the constituency well before the Model Code of Conduct came into force and created goodwill among the people in the surroundings of Karamadai and Mettupalayam.
“TRS was hoping that the seat would be allotted to him and he was vexed that the party had not considered him despite being loyal to the party. He was in tears, unable to accept that he was not fielded in his own constituency,” said a supporter of TRS. Supporters of Gudalur municipality chairman A Arivarasu, who was also in the race for contesting in Mettupalayam constituency, were shocked and gathered in large numbers at his house in Gudalur Kavundampalayam to show dissatisfaction. However, Arivarasu who also broke down, pacified his supporters. “We will work for the victory of the candidate selected by Chief Minister MK Stalin,” said Arivarasu.
Likewise, Thondamuthur Ravi who was also the probable candidate for Thondamuthur constituency was upset as he was not selected and the lesser known face NR Karthikeyan was selected to contest against SP Velumani in Thondamuthur constituency.
“DMK party high command is well aware that Coimbatore is the fort of AIADMK. However, CM Stalin fielded lesser known faces except V Senthil Balaji. Lesser known face in DMK will be advantageous for the AIADMK as it has created a chance for us to win more constituencies like in the 2021 elections,” said sources in the AIADMK.
Not only in Thondamuthur, candidates for Kinathukkadavu Sabari Karthikeyan, and Suthakar for Valparai constituencies are not familiar among the people and they have to contest against senior AIADMK MLAs who have strong base and connection with the ground level people.
Meanwhile, a group of DMK functionaries thronged the party’s Kanniyakumari West district office on Sunday, urging the party high command to field former minister T Mano Thangaraj in Padmanabhapuram constituency. The seat has been allocated to its ally CPM.
T Cebith, a DMK women’s wing functionary, said Mano Thangaraj’s chances of winning are bright and the allocation of all three constituencies to alliance parties would affect DMK’s growth. She said the functionaries who had gathered on Sunday were making a request and they would abide by the party’s decision.
(With inputs from M Abdul Rabi @ Kanniyakumari)