The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will field nearly 50 poll debutants in the April 6 Assembly elections. Among those given DMK tickets for the first time are Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is the party’s Youth Wing leader and the son of party president MK Stalin. On Friday, DMK released the list of candidates for 173 constituencies. And although the party is primarily relying on heavyweights and sitting MLAs, the DMK has chosen to also field poll debutants in several constituencies represented by AIADMK ministers.
The DMK has fielded the party’s Salem district functionary Sampath Kumar against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and four-time MLA Edappadi K Palaniswami in Edappadi constituency. The DMK has fielded the party’s Maduravoyal South Secretary Ganapathy against School Education Minister P Benjamin at Maduravoyal constituency.
DMK’s Thiruvallur Central District Secretary SM Naseer will face off against Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture Mafoi Pandiarajan. Former AIADMK MLA JCD Prabhakaran will be up against DMK’s Nettri Azhagan in Villivakkam constituency.
At Jolarpettai, DMK has fielded their Vellore West district Secretary Dhevaraji against Tamil Nadu Minister for Commercial taxes KC Veeramani.
Both the Dravidian majors—AIADMK and DMK— have fielded poll debutants in RK Nagar constituency previously held by later former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. DMK has fielded JJ Ebinaser against AIADMK North Chennai (East) district secretary RS Rajesh. Significantly, TTV Dhinakaran, the AMMK chief and the sitting RK Nagar MLA, has chosen to contest from Kovilpatti.
DMK Youth Wing Secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is a well-known face among the public, will be making his electoral debut from the party’s bastion of Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni. He will be contesting against a PMK candidate, whose name is yet to be announced. The Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly seat, which was once held by his grandfather and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, was last represented by DMK’s late J Anbazhagan. He passed away last year at the age of 62.
Addressing the media persons at Anna Arivalayam before reading the list, DMK president Stalin said, this is not the list of candidates but the list of winners in the upcoming elections.