CHENNAI: Ahead of the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Edappadi in Salem, the home constituency of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, was the only seat where the C Joseph Vijay-led TVK did not have a candidate, as its TVK candidate’s nomination was rejected.
While it was the election authorities who rejected M Arun Kumar’s nomination, there were murmurs within the TVK and also political circles that it was engineered. For, the officials had given time to the candidate and his substitute nominees to rectify the discrepancies, but the party was not able to reach him before the deadline.
Now, after the TVK’s surprise victory, there is a new face to take on AIADMK and Palaniswami in Edappadi. And she is from his own family.
On Saturday, among the hundreds of people who joined the TVK in the presence of ministers Aadhav Arjuna and KA Sengottaiyan was Menaka Balakrishnan, Palaniswami’s cousin sister’s daughter. Though there were former ministers, MLAs, and even actor Mansoor Ali Khan who uses controversial comments to ensure his presence in the media, Menaka was the highlight of the induction event.
When asked by reporters why she joined the TVK, she said the only intention was to work with the party that has gained the trust and mandate of the people. “Edappadi is my native. From now, I will work hard to grow the TVK in the constituency,” she said.
Though Menaka is largely unknown in Tamil Nadu political circles, and Palaniswami is widely considered to be unbeatable in Edappadi, the emergence of TVK has rewritten political history in the State, after its candidates defeated even the mightiest of leaders across Tamil Nadu. It remains to be seen how the fight of the relatives would play out in Edappadi.