With a mix of many new faces and some old war horses, the AIADMK candidates list for the central region has thrown up some surprises as well with three Ministers from the region being denied tickets.
Khadi and Village Industries Minister T. P. Poonachi (representing Mannachanallur in Tiruchi district), Adi Dravida Welfare Minister N.Subramanian (Gandharvakottai in Pudukottai district) and Fisheries Minister K.A. Jayapal (Nagapattinam) do not find their names in the list.
Mr. Jayapal had courted political and personal controversies during his tenure but never did they arouse suspicion of his omission from the party list. Nagapattinam constituency has now been allotted to alliance partner Manithaneya Jananayaka Katchi whose leader Thamimun Ansari. Mr. Poonachi became a Minister when N.R. Sivapathy was dropped from the Cabinet in February 2013. Though he was non-controversial, political circles say the 63-year-old Minister was seen as being far too passive. Mr. Subramanian, who enjoyed the distinction of a long and undisturbed membership in a Jayalalithaa Cabinet, was largely playing second fiddle to Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar in Pudukkottai district politics.
Significantly Mr. Vijaya Baskar, who was shunted out as the party district secretary for falling foul of Mutherayar community has managed to retain his Viralimalai seat apparently due to his good showing as a Minister, especially during the Chennai floods.
Former Transport Minister Senthil Balaji, whose rise in the party was as spectacular as his fall from Cabinet in July 2015, has got the nod but has been shifted from his two-time turf of Karur to Aravakurichi.
Belying expectations in some quarters that she might return to Srirangam, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has retained S. Valarmathi who won the by-election from there in February 2015. Former Minister M. Paranjothi, against whom a lady doctor raised a marital complaint, gets the boot from Tiruchi West where a Corporation councillor S. Tamilarasi is now being fielded. Government Chief Whip R. Manoharan (Tiruchi East) and R. Chandrasekar (Manapparai) retain their seats aside Ms. Valarmathi in Tiruchi district.
In Thanjavur district, besides Hosing Minister R. Vaithilingam (Orathanad), Papanasam MLA R. Duraikkannu and Thanjavur MLA M. Rengasamy retain their seats while the MGR era MLA M.G.M. Subramanian gets a surprise call up for the Tiruvaiyaru constituency. Similarly, lady luck has smiled on bachelor Rama. Ramanathan who will be in the fray in Kumbakonam, a constituency he had represented earlier.
In Tiruvarur district, save Food Minister R. Kamaraj the rest three contestants are all new faces in Assembly electoral battle. As for the Nagapattinam district, the list was a bagful of surprises as all sitting AIADMK members have been dropped. Interestingly former MLA, A. Natarajan, has been given the Poompuhar ticket.
