COIMBATORE: Retaining experienced leaders in key strongholds in the western region, the AIADMK has decided to field its seven sitting MLAs from the Coimbatore district in the upcoming Assembly election.
Among them is former Minister SP Velumani, who will contest again from the Thondamuthur constituency. Similarly, former Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman has been given the ticket to contest again from Pollachi.
Kavundampalayam is given to PRG Arunkumar, KR Jayaram contests at Singanallur, VP Kandasamy at Sulur and S Damodaran at Kinathukkadavu, all four getting the tickets again.
Amman K Arjunan, who is representing the Coimbatore North constituency, has been tasked to contest from Coimbatore South based on an agreement between the AIADMK and the BJP to interchange the Coimbatore North and South constituencies.
The Coimbatore South is believed to be a safe seat for the AIADMK, as Arjunan had won from the constituency in 2016 by defeating the Congress candidate. In 2021 BJP's Vanathi Srinivasan defeated Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan.
The choices of incumbent legislators highlight AIADMK's focus on continuity with senior leaders who have a strong local base.
The party has allocated the Mettupalayam seat to three-time MLA OK Chinnaraj, replacing the sitting MLA AK Selvaraj. In 2021 Selvaraj had won the seat and Chinnaraj had won in 2011 and 2016.
For the Valparai constituency (a reserved seat), AIADMK has decided on a new face, D Lakshmana Singh, who currently serves as a councillor from Kinathukkadavu Town Panchayat (Ward 1).
Singh was born at Kotagiri in Nilgiris, and he completed his education in Kanyakumari, then at Coimbatore Government Arts College.
He holds the posts of Amma Peravai district treasurer and Coimbatore rural south district minority wing secretary. He is residing at Kinathukkadavu, where he is running two private schools.
For more than one month, he has been concentrating on the Valparai constituency and frequently meets the public for campaigning, according to the sources.
Coimbatore is one of the districts where the AIADMK alliance won all the 10 constituencies in 2021. Expecting the same result in the upcoming election, the AIADMK locked the alliance deal with the BJP, offering one seat to them and fielding the experienced leaders and sitting MLAs in most of the constituencies.