After sulking for a few days on being denied a ticket to contest from Manachanallur Assembly constituency, former Forest Minister N. Selvaraj of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam joined the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Chennai on Saturday.
Mr. Selvaraj, whose long-time rivalry with DMK south district secretary K.N. Nehru was no secret, was upset after the DMK released its list of candidates for the district. Speaking to The Hindu a few days ago, Mr. Selvaraj made no secret of his bitterness and accused DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin of deliberately insulting him at the instigation of Mr. Nehru. “When many with criminal background have been given tickets, people who are straightforward like me have been denied ticket,” he said over telephone. This is not the first time Mr. Selvaraj has switched camps.
Though he was a district secretary in the DMK, he went along with Vaiko when the latter launched the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1993, only to return to the DMK a few years later.
TMC leader S.R. Balasubramoniyan joined the AIADMK in the presence of Ms. Jayalalithaa.
