The AIADMK has released its first set of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, and has decided to field chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Paneerselvam from their western and southern strongholds in the state.
While Paneerselvam will contest from Bodi in Theni district, Palaniswami will contest from the eponymous constituency Edappadi in Salem district. The first list includes the names of only six candidates.
The party will field senior minister and long-time spokesperson D Jayakumar from North Chennai constituency Royapuram. Law minister C. Ve. Shanmugam will contest from the Vanniyar-dominant Vizhupuram constituency.
The AIADMK has tied up with the BJP and PMK for the assembly elections, besides other smaller parties, for the election. With a promise of 10.5% sub-reservation to Vanniyars under the MBC block in the OBC category, Palaniswami believes he has a strong chance of caste consolidation behind him.
The DMK is yet to seal up an alliance with its primary congress, but it has finished up with the VCK, which has a sizeable presence to take on the PMK in northern Tamil Nadu. The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will have single-phase polling on April 6. The votes will be counted on May 2.
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