AIADMK names its 4 candidates for May 19 bypolls 

In a joint statement, AIADMK coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced VP Kandasamy (Sulur), VV Senthilnathan (Aravakurichi), S Muniyandi (Tirupparankundram) and P Mohan to Oddapidaram as the party’s nominees for the bypolls. While Mohan is a former MLA, the other nominees have held party posts.

According to confidential party insiders, the ministers based in Coimbatore region wanted to field film financier N Anbu Chezhian, a family member of the deceased MLA R Kanagaraj from Sulur and party spokesperson Nirmala Periyasami in the bypolls, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami rejected their pleas preferring party old timers for the crucial bypolls.

Party joint co-ordinator R Vaithilingam also raked up the issue of fielding old loyalists as so that the party functionaries and cadres are happy with the selection of candidates.

Of these four seats, bypolls to Tiruparankundram and Sulur were necessitated due to the death of their sitting AIADMK legislators AK Bose and R Kanagaraj. Aravakurichi and Ottapidaram fell vacant following the disqualification of AIADMK MLAs V Senthil Balaji and R Sundararaj who shifted their allegiance to the rebel AMMK.

Former AIADMK minister Senthil Balaji is now contesting the Aravakurichi seat on a DMK ticket. On April 18, bypolls to 18 Assembly seats were held and the counting for all the 22 Assembly seats is scheduled on May 23.

The results of bypolls are crucial for the AIADMK government led by Palaniswami which is sitting on a wafer-thin margin.

At present, the AIADMK has a strength of 113 members and when the elections are held the AIADMK needs a simple majority of 117 to continue in the 234-member Assembly.