Moopanar plays it safe

By Radha Venkatesan

CHENNAI, APRIL 18. The TMC president, Mr. G. K. Moopanar, today sought to play safe, renominating nine sitting MLAs, rewarding two veterans and roping in three new faces, in the first list of party candidates for the May 10 Assembly election.

Amidst persisting disenchantment in the TMC camp over seats allocation by the AIADMK, the party announced candidates for 15 of the 32 constituencies it will contest in the AIADMK Front.

The senior vice-president, Mr. S. G. Vinayagamurthy, who lost to the DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, in Saidapet in 1967 and unsuccessfully contested in Park Town in 1989, will try his luck once again in Park Town here.

As expected, another vice-president and former MLA, Mr.K.Paramalai, has been fielded in the Manamadurai (reserved) constituency.

The MLAs, who will be recontesting, include the party whip in the Assembly, Mr. C. Gnanasekaran, the deputy leader of the Opposition, Mr. K. N. Lakshmanan and the senior leaders, Mr. K. R. Ramasamy and Dr.D.Kumaradoss. In the reserved constituency of Paramakudi, the party has fielded a new face, Mr.K.V.R.Ramprabhu, son of the late Congress leader, Mr. K. V. Rakkan.

As for the two constituencies allotted to the party in Virudhunagar district, the TMC has safely nominated the district president, Mr. S. Damodaran in Virudhunagar and the former district president, Mr. A. Rajagopal, in the neighbouring Sivakasi constituency.

The partial list of candidates put on tenterhooks quite a few seniors aspiring for ticket. Significantly, the constituencies sought by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr.S.Balakrishnan, party treasurer, Mr.D.Sudarshanam, former Union Ministers, Mr.S.R.Balasubramaniam and Mr.Danushkodi Adityan, did not figure in today's list.

The party general secretary, Mr. K. S. Alagiri, whose Chidambaram seat which has gone to the PMK in the seats allocation by the AIADMK, is said to be seeking the Tambaram seat in suburban Chennai, while another MLA, Mr.A.Chellakumar, who too lost his T.Nagar seat to the AIADMK, is angling for Villivakkam.

Party sources claim that the second list expected to be released tomorrow could be a package of surprises, as a few seniors may be denied ticket.

Of the 17 constituencies for which candidates are to be announced, 10 seats are presently held by the party.

Following is the first list of candidates of the TMC:

Mr. K. R. Ramasamy, MLA (Thiruvadanai), Dr. M. Moses, MLA (Nagercoil), Dr. D. Kumaradoss, MLA (Killiyoor), Mr. K. V. R. Ramprabhu (Paramakudi-Reserved), Mr. K. Paramalai (Manamadurai- Reserved), U. S. Udaiappan (Karaikudi), Mr. V. K. Lakshmanan, MLA (Coimbatore-East), Mr. S. Sivaraj, MLA (Rishivandiyam), K.Manivarma, MLA (Thandrampattu), Mr. C. Gnanasekaran, MLA (Vellore), Mr. S. G. Vinayagamurthy (Park Town), Mr. S. V. Thirugnanasambandam, MLA (Peravurani), Mr. A. Rajagopal (Sivakasi) and Mr. S. Damodaran (Virudhunagar).

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