Erode East bypoll: Congress keen on fielding Elangovan’s family member

CHENNAI: Congress leaders in the state are working overtime to persuade members of deceased party MLA Thirumahan Everaa’s family to contest in bypoll bound Erode East Assembly constituency.

A member of Everaa or rather his father EVKS Elangovan’s family seems to be the primary choice of the party for the by-election candidature. However, the state Congress unit is in a quandary owing to a dilemma in the family.

Highly placed Congress sources disclosed to DT Next that Elangovan was not keen on contesting in the bypoll and his younger son Sanjay Sampath, a full-time businessman and brother of deceased Thirumahan Everaa, appears to be disinclined to take the political plunge. A state Congress senior privy to the candidature talks told that Elangovan has nearly opted out of the electoral race and he was not averse to his younger son contesting in the February 27 by-election.

When asked, an informed Congress source from western region revealed that Elangovan, who had contested unsuccessfully from Theni Parliamentary segment in 2019, was not interested and he was proposing a young candidate, possibly his younger son if the latter agrees to join active electoral politics.

Efforts have been made by the TNCC leadership to persuade the former TNCC president to convince his younger son Sampath to contest in the urban Erode seat. The word on the street was that Elangovan has sufficiently communicated his unwillingness to his peers in Sathyamurthy Bhavan, forcing the high command to consider other familial options or look outside the family in the event of them failing to convince the heir.