Profiles of some of the significant aiadmk leaders who were named in the party’s Assembly poll candidate list on Wednesday
OS Manian from Vedaranyam
Manian (67), Handlooms and Textiles Minister, is re-contesting in the Vedaranyam constituency. This is his third Assembly poll. Manian, a farmer and PUC graduate, was elected for the Assembly for the first time in 2016, with a huge margin of 22,998 votes. Manian was also a former Rajya Sabha MP from 1995-2001 and a former Lok Sabha MP from 2009 to 2014 . He is also the district secretary of AIADMK’s Nagapattinam unit and in charge of the erstwhile integrated Nagapattinam district. He was a staunch loyalist of former AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa and was also the former propaganda secretary,
C Vijayabaskar from Viralimalai
Vijayabaskar (46), sitting MLA from Viralimalai and Health Minister, is contesting from the constituency once again. This is the third consecutive election he is contesting from this constituency. He is also district secretary of the Pudukkottai north unit of the AIADMK. He was first inducted into the Cabinet in 2013 by Jayalalithaa. He was previously MLA from Pudukkottai from 2001 to 2006. He is a doctor by profession and completed his MBBS from Rajah Muthiah Medical College. While he won by a margin of almost 40,000 votes in 2011, in 2016, his margin was less than 8,500 votes.
MR Vijayabaskar from Karur
Vijayabaskar (56), Transport Minister and Karur AIADMK district secretary, has once again been fielded by the party in the Karur Assembly constituency. He joined the AIADMK in 1984, later served as the party’s Thanthonimalai union secretary for a period of 10 years, before being made the party’s Karur district secretary in 2015. Vijayabaskar contested in the Karur constituency during the 2016 Assembly election which was his first Assembly election. However, he won by only 441 votes. Later, he was made Transport Minister by Jayalalithaa.
SP Velumani from Thondamuthur
MLA from Thondamuthur and Minister for Municipal Administration in the incumbent cabinet. Holds an M.A. degree and an M.Phil from Annamalai University. He contested on AIADMK ticket in 2006, 2011 and 2016 Assembly polls and won all three times. He has served as Kuniyamuthur Municipal Chairman. He won the 2006 elections from Perur constituency on an AIADMK ticket. He registered impressive victories in the 2011 and 2016 elections from the newly formed constituency of Thondamuthur.
K Pandiarajan from Avadi
Incumbent Minister K Pandiarajan has been fielded in Avadi constituency for the second time. Pandiarajan, a businessman by profession, graduated from XLRI in 1984 and joined the Indian operations of an industrial gas multi-national BOC Group. He was first elected MLA in 2011 in Virudhunagar when he was with DMDK. Later, he switched his loyalty to AIADMK, was fielded in Avadi in 2016 and got elected. He was also appointed Minister of School Education in Jayalalithaa’s government.
Udumalai K Radhakrishnan from Udumalaipet
MLA from Udumalaipet constituency and Minister for Animal Husbandry. Initially into cable TV business and farming, he has held positions such as Chairman of Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, since 1982. He faced a tough fight in the 2016 Assembly election but went on to win the MLA post.
KA Sengottaiyan from Gobichettipalayam
Minister for School Education. First elected to the TN Assembly from Sathyamangalam in 1977, he has since gone on to win seven times from Gobichettipalayam (Gobi) constituency in Erode district that he represents this time, too. Becoming Minister of Transport and Forests in former CM J Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet, he has since held other ministerial posts in Agriculture (2011), IT (2011), and Revenue Department (2011).
KP Munusamy from Veppanapalli
Rajya Sabha MP. Lawyer by profession, he contested and became Kaveripattinam MLA in 1991.
In the 2011 Assembly election, Munusamy won from Krishnagiri constituency and also took charge
as Minister of Rural Development. Currently AIADMK deputy coordinator, he has also held other key positions in the party like Dharmapuri district secretary (before bifurcation).
Sellur K Raju from Madurai West
State Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju will again seek mandate from Madurai West constituency. Raju won against the DMK candidate G Thalapathi in 2016 and 2011 polls by a margin of 16,398 and 38,761 votes respectively. He now holds the portfolios of Cooperation, Statistics and Ex-servicemen welfare. He has a B.Sc degree in polystyrene science from Madurai Kamaraj varsity.
Saidai Duraisamy from Saidapet
Former Mayor Saidai Duraisamy has been nominated for the Saidapet constituency. After the demise of AIADMK founder MGR, he supported the Janaki faction of AIADMK. He was elected as MLA from Saidapet between 1984 and 89. He unsuccessfully contested against DMK chief K Stalin in Kolathur in 2011. He is founder of Manidhanaeyam IAS academy.
