Erode

Sitting AIADMK MLA Thoppu N Venkatachalam on Thursday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Perundurai constituency, following denial of the ticket by the party for the April 6 assembly elections.

Venkatachalam was elected from the Perundurai constituency in 2011 and became the Revenue and Pollution Control Minister in J Jayalalithaa's government in 2011. Again in 2016, he was elected MLA from the same constituency. The former minister was a ticket aspirant for the Perundurai segment, from where the party high command has decided to field Jayakumar.

Upset over being denied the seat this time, he met his supporters and decided to enter the fray as an independent candidate. Venkatachalam filed his nomination papers before the Perundurai Returning Officer on Thursday noon.

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