A day after the DMK released its list of candidates for the Assembly elections, protests broke out in Anaicut constituency in Vellore district, three constituencies in Tiruchi and one constituency in Pudukottai district over the choice of nominees. The protests prompted DMK president M. Karunanidhi to issue a statement appealing to the cadres to sink their differences and work for the party’s victory.
In Anaicut, dissenting cadres roughed up the candidate A. P. Nandhakumar and former MP T.A. Mohammed Saqhy.
Soon after Mr. Nandhakumar’s candidature was announced on Wednesday, some cadres blocked the Anaicut-Odugathur road demanding that he be replaced with the Anaicut (West) union secretary M. Babu. On Thursday, cadres landed at the party’s central district office on Vellore-Katpadi Road and roughed up Mr. Nandhakumar, prompting him and his supporters to lock themselves up inside the party office. Mr. Saqhy, the DMK Vellore district presidium chairman, was also manhandled.
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Supporters of Mr. Babu, who is the DMK’s Anaicut (West) Union Secretary, are upset that he has been overlooked. Velu, a supporter said, “We were informed on Wednesday afternoon by senior party leaders that Babu will be the candidate for Anaicut. Even messages on WhatsApp and Facebook had his name. We were shocked when we saw Nandhakumar’s name in the final list.” Some blamed former Minister Durai Murugan for selecting Mr. Nandhakumar, a resident of K.V. Kuppam.
“We will not support his candidature, and will intensify our protest if the DMK leadership does not change its decision,” another cadre said.
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Vociferous protests were also witnessed at Alangudi in Pudukottai district against the nomination of G. Sathish, a doctor by qualification. A large number of party men laid siege to the local DMK office and tried to lock the office. Some of the sulking party men held black flags.
The protestors, believed to be supporters of party’s Aranthangi Union Chairman Meyyanathan, also took out a march to the party office, where they raised slogans against Sathish, who is working in a private medical college in Tiruchi.
Expressing disappointment over the selection of Sathish, Shankar (35) of Anavayal made an attempt to immolate himself at Sandhaipettai. However, passersby and a few party cadres rescued him.
The nomination of K. Anbarasan (48), a doctor attached to the Thanjavur Medical College, for Gandarvakottai constituency has also led to discontent among cadres.
Meanwhile, posters appeared in different parts of Tiruverumbur in Tiruchi district against the nomination of Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, son of late Anbil Poyyamozhi, from the constituency.
A group of DMK cadres took out a rally in Mannachanallur in Tiruchi district, against the nomination of S. Ganesan as the candidate in the Mannachanallur constituency. Many of them were believed to be supporters of former DMK Minister N. Selvaraj, who has been denied a ticket.
Attempting to cool tempers, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, in his letter to the cadres, said small internal differences must not be allowed to stand in the way of the party’s victory.
Quoting the party founder C.N. Annadurai, he said, those who couldn’t get their seats must ‘wait until their turn comes’. “This is an election in which we have to win huge number of seats and provide a government that works for the welfare of the Tamil people,” he said.
(With additional inputs from Serena M. Josephine in Vellore and C. Jaishankar in Tiruchi)