A new face to electoral politics, Vijaya Jayaraj is the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's candidate for the Tiruchi Mayor's post.
This is the first time that the party has fielded a candidate for the Mayor's post in the city since the civic body was upgraded as a Corporation in 1994.
The first election to the Corporation was held in 1996 and the DMK has allotted the seat to its alliance partners, first to the erstwhile Tamil Manilla Congress and then the Congress. In 1996, Punithavalli Pazhaniyandi was elected Mayor on a TMC ticket and in the subsequent elections in 2001 and 2006 Sarubala R.Tondaiman of the Congress was elected Mayor.
Ms.Jayaraj(48) is the party's urban district deputy secretary and has been in the party for two decades and a prominent women's wing member. She is also the chairman of the VJP Catering College in the city. Ms.Jayaraj will take on A.Jaya alias M.S.R.Jaya of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Rohaiah of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
The DMK has released its list of candidates for 60 Corporation wards and has fielded nearly a dozen of its sitting members, including Deputy Mayor M.Anbazhagan, who has been arrested in connection with a land grab case. Candidates for five more wards are to be announced later.
