: AIADMK and DMK candidates for the Aravakurichi and Thanjavur Assembly constituencies, where polling will be held on November 19, filed their respective nomination papers on Friday.
Both the parties are fielding the same candidates who were nominated for the Assembly polls in May, which were countermanded in the two constituencies on account of large-scale distribution of cash for voters.
The DMK’s K.C. Pallani Shamy, who represented Aravakurichi constituency in the previous State Assembly, was the first to file his papers on the third day of filing of nominations. He presented the papers before Returning Officer S. Saifudeen at the Aravakurichi taluk office. He was accompanied by former DMK Minister E.V. Velu. His son K.C.P. Sivaraman filed his nomination as the party’s dummy candidate.
“I am confident that I will retain the constituency with a good margin. I am familiar here and my good work will fetch me votes,” Mr. Pallani Shamy told The Hindu . He claimed that the ground situation had seen a dramatic change when compared to the May elections. “The government machinery is paralysed. The people are fed up,” he claimed.
An hour later, flanked by Deputy Leader of the Lok Sabha M. Thambidurai and Transport Minister and Karur district AIADMK secretary M.R. Vijayabhaskar, Mr. Senthil Balaji presented his papers. V.S. Elango filed his nomination as the alternative candidate of the AIADMK.
As per the affidavit filed by Mr. Balaji, he owns immovable properties worth Rs.1.10 crore. Mr. Balaji, who had served as Transport Minister from 2011 to 2015, had declared movable properties worth Rs. 98,28,654. His wife has movable properties worth Rs.37,82,641. Mr. Senthil Balaji has liabilities to the tune of Rs.8.20 lakh. He has seven criminal cases pending against him.
Mr. Pallani Shamy declared that he had Rs. 85,20,76,264 worth of movable and immovable assets. The value of his movable assets is Rs.40,39,89,964 and immovable assets, Rs.44,80,86,300. He has liabilities to the tune of Rs.13,48,77,244.
His wife P. Annammal, a home maker, owns Rs.13,90,32,619 worth of movable and immovable assets. Her liabilities amount to Rs.57,52,596. Mr. Pallani Shamy has two cases pending against him.
In Thanjavur, the AIADMK candidate, M. Rengasamy, accompanied by Ministers R. Kamaraj, S.P. Velumani, Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan, C. Vijayabhaskar, O.S. Manian, Vellamandi Natarajan and others, took out a procession to garland statues of leaders before proceeding to Returning Officer C. Suresh’s office to file his papers. Speaking after filing his nomination papers, Mr.Rengasamy promised to continue the service he had rendered to the constituency during his earlier term.
Mr. Rengasamy had movable and immovable property worth Rs. 1.01crore, which included immovable property worth Rs. 57.58 lakh. He had declared that he had outstanding loans amounting to Rs. 18.82 lakh against purchase of a car. S. Ramesh filed his papers as Mr. Rengasamy’s dummy candidate.
DMK candidate Anjugam Bhupathy (29) filed her papers, accompanied by the former Union Minister Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan, party district secretaries S. Kalyanasundram and Durai Chandrasekaran.
Ms. Anjugam claimed in her affidavit that she had only Rs. 65,000 as cash at hand, gold jewellery worth Rs. 6.04 lakh and other movable assets worth Rs. 26.31 lakh, while she had liabilities worth Rs. 9.33 lakh.
Speaking to the media, Ms. Anjugam Bhupathy claimed that her chances of victory were bright. The electorate was sore that there was no developmental activity in the constituency, she alleged. S. Arumugam filed papers as the dummy candidate.
Both the candidates declared that they did not have criminal cases leading to punishment of more than two years of imprisonment against them.
Meanwhile, AIADMK candidate A.K. Bose filed his nomination for the Thiruparankundram Assembly constituency in Madurai on Friday.
Flanked by senior minister O. Panneerselvam among others, he kick-started his party’s electioneering in the constituency.
In brief stop-overs at a few places, Mr. Panneerselvam exuded confidence of emerging victorious, saying that party supremo Jayalalithaa had done so much for the welfare of the people that the party would win by a margin of over one lakh votes than their nearest rivals.
Polls in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur constituencies
are slated for November 19
