COIMBATORE: A fresh wave of discontent has surfaced within the Congress in Coimbatore after senior leader P Chidambaram’s campaign itinerary omitted two Assembly constituencies allocated to the party in the district.
Under the DMK-led alliance, the Congress is contesting from Kavundampalayam and Singanallur assembly segments in Coimbatore, where Suryaprakash and Sreenidhi have been fielded as candidates. However, their selection had already triggered protests within the party, with cadres alleging that long-time workers were overlooked in favour of recent entrants.
Party insiders note that Chidambaram had played a key role in finalising the DMK-Congress alliance. Yet, candidates believed to be backed by him were not accommodated in the final list, leading to dissatisfaction among his supporters.
According to an official announcement, Chidambaram is scheduled to campaign on April 14 in the Erode and Coimbatore districts. In Coimbatore, he is expected to campaign in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore North, and Sulur constituencies, all represented by alliance partner DMK.
The absence of Kavundampalayam and Singanallur from his itinerary has come as a surprise to Congress cadres. Sources suggested that while the invitation for the campaign may have come directly from DMK leadership, uncertainty remains over whether Chidambaram will extend his support to Congress nominees.
With one group of the Congress committee here in Coimbatore having supported the decision, the other has raised concerns over not campaigning for their own party candidates. Some of them have even announced that they would oppose if Chidambaram decides to campaign for the two candidates.