BJP gives up its ‘favourite seat’

Tiruchi was one of the favourite seats for the BJP and the local party activists were shocked when the DMDK announced A.M.G. Vijayakumar as its candidate for Tiruchi in the first list

Even while the Bharatiya Janata Party cadre elsewhere in the State are celebrating the finalisation of the seven-party alliance after many hiccups, the Tiruchi unit is sore at the allotment of the prestigious Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency to Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK).

Of the six constituencies in the central region, two each have been allotted to DMDK (Tiruchi and Karur) and Pattali Makkal Katchi (Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam-reserved) while the BJP will fight from Thanjavur and India Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) from Perambalur seat.

Tiruchi was one of the favourite seats for the BJP and the local party activists were shocked when the DMDK announced A.M.G. Vijayakumar as its candidate for Tiruchi in the first list itself. The party nominated senior leaders Rangarajan Kumaramangalam, Sukumaran Nambiyar, Lalitha Kumaramangalam in the Tiruchi seat in the past polls.

As BJP had won from here twice in the past, the local party men were disappointed and they did not leave any stone unturned to draw the attention of the party high command to reconsider its decision.

The party workers were told that the list was not final. Their cup of woe was complete with Tiruchi remaining with the DMK in the final list released by the BJP president Rajnath Singh on Thursday.

“We expressed our dismay in all ways possible, but the party high command was helpless.

“We are sorry that we lost a golden opportunity to consolidate the party’s position in the central districts”, a senior BJP worker said.

The DMDK was yet to announce candidate for its second seat in central region, Karur, where AIADMK’s Thambidurai and DMK’s M. Chinnasamy are in the fray.

The PMK has nominated Aghoram for the Mayiladuthurai seat and the candidate for Nagapattinam — reserved was expected soon.

Educationist and founder of the IJK Pachamuthu was likely to be the candidate for Perambalur, the lone seat allotted to the party in the BJP-led alliance.

The BJP was expected to soon announce its nominee for Thanjavur seat, where the DMK had fielded its senior leader T.R. Baalu.