The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) have fielded experienced candidates as nominees for the Lok Sabha and Assemby by-elections in the central region.
The AMMK has fielded former Tiruchi Mayor Sarubala Tondaiman in Tiruchi parliamentary constituency. She is contesting for the third consecutive time in the constituency since 2009.
Ms. Tondaiman, who belongs to the royal family of the erstwhile Pudukottai princely state, served as mayor of Tiruchi Corporation for two terms between 2001 and 2009. She resigned in 2009 to contest the Lok Sabha election on the Congress ticket from Tiruchi. But she lost the election by a slender margin to AIADMK candidate P. Kumar. She contested again in 2014 on the Congress ticket, but was defeated.
When G.K. Vasan revived the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), she was made president of Tiruchi urban unit. She later quit the party and joined AIADMK in 2016. After the demise of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, she sided with V.K. Sasikala, the late CM’s close aide. Ms. Tondaiman is now the State-level organising secretary of AMMK headed by T.T.V Dinakaran.
Perambalur
AMMK has fielded the party’s Tiruchi south district secretary M. Rajasekaran as its candidate for the Perambalur parliamentary constituency.
Mr. Rajasekaran, who contested in the previous assembly and Lok Sabha polls as a Congress member, was defeated in the parliamentary constituency in 2014 general elections. In 1999 general elections, he lost in the Tiruchi parliamentary constituency.
He won from Thottiyam in the 2006 Assembly elections, but lost when he contested in Musiri assembly constituency in 2011. A native of Tiruparathurai in Tiruchi district, Mr. Rajasekaran has been in the electoral battle since 1989.
Mr. Rajasekaran, who switched over to TMC in 2014 lost in Musiri constituency again in 2016 when his party was a constituent of the DMDK-headed People’s Welfare Front.
He quit the TMC to join the AIADMK in 2016 after it regained power in the assembly election. He threw in his lot with T.T.V. Dhinakaran when the latter broke away from the AIADMK and started the AMMK in March 2018. He belongs to Muthuraja community, which has a dominant presence in Perambalur parliamentary constituency encompassing Kulithalai, Musiri, Manachanallur, Thuraiyur (reserved) and Perambalur (reserved) assembly segments.
Nagapattinam
T. Sengodi of Agarathirunallur, Koradacheri Union, has been nominated as AMMK candidate in the Nagapattinam parliamentary (reserve) constituency.
A law degree holder, Ms. Sengodi is the AMMK heqdquarter executive committee member. She earlier served as president of Kattur Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society as member of AIADMK.
Mayiladuthurai
Former Thiruvidaimaruthur, MLA S. Ramalingam has been nominated for Mayiladuthurai parliamentary seat by the DMK.
During his four decades of association with the Dravidian party, Mr. Ramalingam was elected to the Assembly four times: in 1977, 1980, 1989 and 1996.
A DMK cadre for the past 40 years, Ramalingam had served the party in various positions and in quasi-government organisations in different capacities.
Thanjavur
Former Union Minister S.S. Palanimanickam, a five-time parliamentarian, has been nominated as the DMK candidate for Thanjavur Lok Sabha seat.
Mr. Palanimanickam won in Thanjavur Lok Sabha seat in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009 elections. He served as the Union Minister of State (Finance) for two consecutive terms from 2004.
But he contested unsuccessfully in 1984, 1989 and 1991 parliamentary elections.
Tiruvarur
Poondi K. Kalaivanan, DMK district secretary, has been nominated as the party candidate for Tiruvarur assembly segment.
A farmer and native of Poondi in Thanjavur district, Mr. Kalaivanan, a resident of Koradacheri. was nominated by the party as its candidate when by-elections for Tiruvarur assembly seat was announced last year after the demise of former Chief Minister and Tiruvarur MLA M. Karunanidhi.
The DMK has fielded its Thanjavur town secretary T.K.G.Neelamegam as the candidate for the by-elections to the Thanjavur assembly segment. A DMK cadre for more than 25 years, Mr. Neelamegam has served in various posts in the party and government undertakings.
Karur
The AMMK has nominated N. Thangavel, district secretary, in Karur constituency. Hails from Parapatti near Aravakurichi constituency, Mr. Thangavel holds B.Tech degree. He was appointed Karur district secretary of AMMK a few months ago after V. Senthil Balaji left the party and joined DMK
