Battle lines drawn for intense Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu

While AMMK has also announced its list of candidates, PMK has announced candidates for five of the seven Lok Sabha seats allotted to the party.

The AIADMK list features some old-timers and sons of Ministers including Ravindranath Kumar, son of Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, J Jeyavardhan, son of Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, VVR Raj Sathyan, son of Rajan Chellappa, MLA of Madurai North Constituency. While Ravindranath will contest from Theni constituency, Raj Sathyan will contest from Madurai. Jeyavardhan is the sitting MP from South Chennai. Some of the seniors who were allotted seats include KP Munusamy, former Minister and Deputy Convenor of the AIADMK, Thambidurai, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and the current MP of Karur constituency. Munusamy will contest in Krishnagiri constituency and Thambidurai will contest again from Karur constituency. Tirupur MP Sathyabama, who was one of the active AIADMK MPs was denied a seat and former Minister, MSM Anandan, was given the chance.

DMK list includesbattle-hardened old timers

The DMK list has battle hardened old-timers like former ministers TR Baalu (Sriperumbudur), A Raja (The Nilgiris), Jagathratchakan (Arakkonam), Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai) SS Palanimanickam (Thanjavur) who would be facing the polls in the company of debutant Gowtham Sigamani (Kallakurichi), Kathir Anand (Vellore), Dr Kalanithi (Chennai North) and Tamilachi Thangapandian (Chennai south), all heirs of DMK seniors. Stalin, who unveiled the list at party headquarters Anna Arivayalam, said that 13 of the 20 candidates were new-comers, which includes three doctors, five advocates, an engineer and nine graduates. Apart from Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi, the list also had space for a defector. Former Mettur MLA and erstwhile DMDK leader S R Parthiban would be pitted against a candidate to be fielded by Chief Minister K Palaniswami in Salem. T Sumathi alias Tamizhachi Thangapandian will contest from Chennai South.

For the PMK, Anbumani Ramadoss will contest again from Dharmapuri. Among others, Vadivel Ravanan will contest in Villupuram , Dr R Govindasamy will contest in Cuddalore, former Minister, AK Moorthy, will contest in Arakkonam and Sam Paul will contest in Central Chennai. Former state Sports Minister, Balakrishna Reddy, who resigned after a special Court sentenced him to three years imprisonment in a riot case, managed to get a seat for his wife Jothi, who will contest from the same Hosur constituency.