CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Wednesday announced the party’s candidates for 21 parliamentary constituencies. The party gave tickets to 10 incumbent MPs while opting to replace six sitting MPs. In the remaining 11 constituencies, 10 candidates will be contesting Lok Sabha election for the first time.
The list saw a token increase in the number of women candidates with three offered tickets instead of two in 2019. Rani Srikrumar, a 40-year-old government doctor, is the party’s candidate from Tenkasi, a reserved constituency. The other two women are Kanimozhi and Thamizhachi Thangapandian, who will contest again from Thoothukudi and Chennai south respectively.
As many as six candidates are scions, which notably included Arun Nehru, son of Municipal Administration minister KN Nehru, who will contest from Perambalur. The remaining five are incumbents which included Kanimozhi, Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Dayanidhi Maran (Chennai central), Kalanidhi Veerasamy (Chennai north), and Kathir Anand (Vellore).
Besides Rani Srikumar and Arun Nehru, other new faces include A Mani (Dharmapuri), Ganapathi P Rajkumar (Coimbatore), K Prakash (Erode), Murasoli (Thanjavur), Malaiyarasan (Kallakurichi), K Eswaraswami (Pollachi) and MS Tharanivendhan (Arani).
However, TM Selvaganapathy, who is contesting Lok Sabha election for the first time is a veteran politician who had served as minister in AIADMK government and later as DMK Rajya Sabha MP. Thanga Tamilselvan is contesting Lok Sabha on DMK ticket for the first time. He unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election and 2021 Assembly election as Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and DMK candidate respectively. Besides these two, it may be noted that Coimbatore candidate Rajkumar had also moved to DMK from AIADMK.
Tickets denied
The DMK opted not to offer tickets to six incumbent MPs - Gowtham Sigamani (Kallakuruchi), S Senthilkumar (Dharmapuri), SS Palanimanickam (Thanjavur), Dhanush M Kumar (Tenkasi), SR Parthiban (Salem) and K Shanmugasundaram (Pollachi).
Sources from Villupuram and Kallakurichi district units said district secretaries of the units did not extend their support to Sigamani. They said the party might have also considered the cases against him while making this decision.
As regards Senthil Kumar, party sources said he had strained his relationship with a few senior party leaders and had a few moments of faux pas in Parliament and social media.
Newcomer Murasoli has been given the ticket with the support of minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who is incharge of Thanjavur.