N. Chinnadurai, one of the four candidates of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam announced on Thursday for the Rajya Sabha elections, was on Saturday replaced with A.K. Selvaraj, former Housing Minister and the party's organising secretary.
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Chief Minister and party general secretary Jayalalithaa, in a statement, stated that Mr. Chinnadurai had been expelled from the party as his “conduct brought disrepute to the party.”
The 54-year-old Selvaraj, who was the secretary of the Coimbatore (North) district unit of the party for about three and a half years between 1999 and 2003, was elected from the Mettupalayam constituency during 2001 Assembly polls, with a margin of about 44,000 votes.
Between May and September 2001, he held the portfolio of Housing and Urban Development in the AIADMK Ministry. He had been the presidium chairman of Coimbatore (North) and Tirupur units of the party.
“Neither shocked nor offended”
Praveen Paul Joseph from Tuticorin writes:
“I am neither shocked nor offended… I have done nothing wrong. I will remain true to my leader,” said N. Chinnadurai, whose candidature for Rajya Sabha polls was withdrawn on Saturday.
Following an allegation of misappropriation of public funds by Mr. Chinnadurai, the AIADMK dropped his name from the list of nominees.
It was the second time he was dropped after being named. Earlier, his name was announced as a contestant from the Ottapidaram Assembly constituency in 2011. “I am upset and troubled by the erroneous charges levelled by partymen,” Mr. Chinnadurai, former chairman of district panchayat, told The Hindu.
He claimed that not even a single FIR had been filed against him so far in any case of funds misappropriation.
Mr. Chinnadurai said he was leaving for Chennai on Saturday evening to approach the Chief Minister with a statement to prove that he was not guilty.
The court had also dismissed the case pertaining to alleged misappropriation of funds two months ago after M. Ganesan, a resident of Veerapandianpattinam in Tuticorin district, filed the case, he recalled.
Mr. Chinnadurai had tendered his resignation as District Panchayat Chairman here on Friday.