Sivaganga
All India Congress Committee (AICC) member and Congress nominee Karti Chidambaram and BJP national secretary and party candidate H. Raja were among the nine candidates filed their nominations to contest from Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency on Monday.
As filing of nominations for the April 18 elections drawing to a close on Tuesday, all major party candidates, barring the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) filed their papers. The nominations began on sluggish note on March 19 and gained momentum on March 22.
On the penultimate day, Mr Karti, Mr Raja and seven other candidates – a Bahujan Samajwadi party candidate and six independents filed papers before Returning Officer and Collector J Jayakanthan.
Mr Karti was accompanied by former DMK Minister and district secretary K.R. Periyakaruppan, Congress legislature party leader K.R. Ramasamy and former CPI MLA Gunasekaran.
In a brief chat with reporters after filing his papers, he said, he being a businessman would bring in private investments and address the unemployment problem in the constituency.
The main issue before the nation, however, was to defeat the ‘fascist’ BJP-led government at the Centre, he said.
The DMK, which has formed a formidable alliance, was sure to win all the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry, he said. After winning the 18 seats in the Assembly by-elections, DMK president M.K. Stalin would become Chief Minister after bringing down the AIADMK government, he said.
Mr. Raja was accompanied by Minister for Khadi and Village Industries Board G. Baskaran, incumbent MP and AIADMK district secretary P.R. Senthilnathan and BJP district secretary Chockalingam, when he filed his papers. Talking to reporters, he exuded confidence of winning the seat with people’s support. If the Congress relied on money power, he relied on people’s support, he said.
Stating that he hailed from Karaikudi, he said after winning the seat, he would serve the people, visiting the nook and corner of the constituency and would not look the constituency from a glass tower. In the by-election to Manamadurai Assembly constituency, DMK candidate Karu Kasalingam alias Ilakkiyadasan and AIADMK candidate ‘Nettur’ Nagarajan filed papers.
