Senthil Balaji among 4 DMK probables for May 19 bypolls

Sources said the principal Opposition party, which was scheduled to announce names of the four candidates, had to cancel the programme, as party president MK Stalin had to participate in the campaign meeting of Secular Progressive Alliance candidates at Salem, also attended by AICC president Rahul Gandhi.

Subsequently, the probable candidates - V Senthil Balaji for Aravakurichi, Dr P Saravanan for Thiruparangundram, Kasi Viswanathan for Ottapidaram and Murugesan for Sulur - were reportedly asked to meet Stalin in Salem. They met him for a brief while on Friday and after the meeting, left by 7 pm, reached their respective constituencies and held detailed discussions with their supporters.All the candidates would commence on initial work after two days when their candidature would be announced officially.

Meanwhile, in Aravakurichi, Balaji has planned to organise systematic meetings, leaving no stone unturned, sources in the know said.

It seems that the people of Aravakurichi finally have a voice after two years. According to a local resident, the major demands of the people is establishing a drumstick processing factory, betel leaf research centre, regularising M-Sand quarries, preventing effluents released by the dyeing units into the water bodies.

The Election Commission had recently announced bypolls to the four pending Assembly constituencies- Sulur, Aravakurichi, Thiruparankundram and Ottapidaram to be held on May 19. The announcement comes weeks after the DMK, called for the conduct of the pending by-elections.