A group of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres staged a protest here on Monday, demanding the party high command to change the candidate announced for the Manamadurai (Reserved) constituency.
The DMK has fielded B. Chithra Selvi (42), daughter of former DMK Minister Samayanallur Selvaraj, but a section of volunteers raised a banner of revolt against the candidature, stating that she hailed from Chennai and hence an outsider to the constituency.
Ms. Selvi, a primary member of the party since her father’s time, is a new entrant to electoral politics but firm on contesting from the constituency.
The protest was stage-managed by a section of party men, who were instigated by some vested interests, her assistant Kannan said, quoting her.
When a section of party men, led by local leader Mannar Mannan, staged the protest, she was busy meeting local DMK office-bearers to chalk out her electioneering, he said.
She would consult senior office-bearers before launching the campaign and there was no question of bowing out, he said.
The protesters demanded that the high command must allot the seat to former Minister A. Tamilarasi, who unsuccessfully contested from the constituency in the 2011 Assembly election.
After DMK nominee P. Duraipandi won the seat in the 1989 elections, the party had contested from here twice in 1991 and 2011 and lost the seat to the AIADMK.
