AIADMK, DMK retain candidates for August 5 election in Vellore

In a statement here, AIADMK coordinator and deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and joint coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that New Justice Party Chief AC Shanmugam is the candidate of the AIADMK-BJP-led Front, that included PMK, DMDK, TMC and Puthiya Tamizhagam. They said he would contest under the AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol.

Meanwhile, DMK President MK Stalin, in a release, said TM Kathir Anand is the party nominee for the Vellore LS seat. Anand is the son of former minister and DMK treasurer Duraimurugan.

The election for Vellore seat was earlier scheduled on April 18, but it was countermanded following seizure of large sums of money, allegedly meant for distribution to the voters, from the premises of Kathir Anand and a DMK functionary, by the Income Tax officials.

DMK candidates file RS nomination

Candidates of principal opposition party DMK, including MDMK general secretary Vaiko, on Saturday filed their nomination for the biennial election to the Rajya Sabha to be held on July 18.

Accompanied by party President MK Stalin, LPF general secretary Shanmugam, senior advocate P Wilson and Vaiko submitted their nomination papers with State Assembly Secretary Srinivasan at the secretariat. In completing the paper works, Vaiko has allayed fears raised about his entry to the Rajya Sabha after a special court here convicted him in a near decade old sedition case.

Asked if he would face any problem in nomination, Vaiko said that he would know if he’s eligible to contest in the election only on July 9. Ironically, the sedition case which nearly threatens to spoil his chances of entering the Rajya Sabha for the fourth time, was slapped on him by DMK, which is now honouring sending him to Parliament as per the electoral pact reached between the two parties for the April 18 Parliamentary election.

With the DMK and allies having required numbers in Assembly, their election in a little over a week should be a mere formality. Should they get elected successfully, Shanmugham and Wilson would be making their maiden Parliamentary debut in a fortnight, whereas Vaiko would enter the upper house for the fourth term.