CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam were the first to collect their poll ticket applications in Chennai, issued by the AIADMK to coincide with the 73rd birth anniversary of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, on Wednesday.
A few other ministers also collected their applications from the party headquarters Earlier in the day, both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, garlanded Jayalalithaa’s statue at the party headquarters, and distributed sweets to cadre and functionaries. They also cut a 73-kg cake and fed each other a piece of cake, before distributing it to the cadre.
The leaders then commenced issuing of applications for those who wished to contest the Assembly elections. The applications can be collected till March 5. The leaders also expressed their willingness to contest from their current constituencies. While Palaniswami contested from the Edappadi constituency in Salem district in 2016, Panneerselvam represented Bodinayakanur in Theni district .
Ministers C Seenivasan, KA Sengottaiyan, SP Velumani and P Thangamani also expressed willingness to contest again from Dindigul, Gobichettipalayam, Thondamuthur and Komarapalayam constituencies, respectively. Palaniswami and Panneerselvam also visited the Jayalalithaa memorial at the Marina, where the Chief Minister opened the Amma Museum and Amma Knowledge Park.
The duo then visited the Jayalalithaa complex within the State Higher Education Council premises and offered floral tributes to the late leader’s statue. Palaniswami planted a makilam tree in the complex, to officially launch a scheme to plant 73 lakh saplings across the State in honour of the departed leader. He also presented a State Award to one T Narmada to mark the National Girl Child Day.
Girl Child Day Awards were also presented to Collectors of Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Tiruvannamalai districts. Palaniswami, Panneerselvam, ministers and AIADMK functionaries lit lamps at their residences in the evening and pledged that they would protect the party and the people, following the path shown by Amma (Jayalalithaa).
EPS HOLDS RALLY IN RK NAGAR CONSTITUENCY
Paying a fitting tribute to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on her 73rd birth anniversary, CM Palaniswami addressed the public from the RK Nagar Assembly constituency on Wednesday evening. This is the constituency from where Jayalalithaa was last voted into the House in 2016. AMMK’s TTV Dhinakaran is the current MLA from the constituency after he won the 2017 by-poll