Former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss will seek a re-election from the Dharmapuri Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming polls. He is the sitting MP from Dharmapuri and also the youth wing secretary of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).
PMK announced its candidates all seven Lok Sabha seats it had been allotted in the AIADMK-BJP alliance. Apart from Anbumani Ramadoss, PMK senior leaders Vadivel Ravanan and former Union Minister AK Moorthy also have found place in the first list of contestants released by the party late on Sunday. While Vadivel Ravanan will be contesting from Villupuram constituency, AK Moorthy will be contesting from Arakkonam parliamentary constituency. The others who have been given a PMK ticket are R Govindasamy, who will contest from Cuddalore and businessman Sam Paul who has been given the Central Chennai constituency. In a second list released by the party on Monday, the PMK will field A Vaithilingam from Sriperumbudur and K Jyothi from Dindigul.
The PMK will take on the DMK in all seven constituencies that it is contesting from including in Villupuram, where the VCK candidate Ravikumar has chosen to contest on the rising sun symbol.
The PMK is part of the AIADMK-led mega alliance in Tamil Nadu that includes the BJP, DMDK, PT, TMC and the New Justice Party. The poll pact between PMK and the AIADMK was signed on February 19 in Chennai, where the party was allotted seven Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming general elections and one Rajya Sabha seat. The PMK also pledged its support to the ruling party in the bye-elections for the 21 Assembly seats which fell vacant due to disqualification or death of sitting MLAs.
PMK, meanwhile, released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls on Friday. The 94-page manifesto included total prohibition, 100 percent duty on tobacco products, mandatory parental consent for weddings of any couple under the age of 21, removal of upper caste reservation and implement reservation based on caste proportion according to 2021 census are some of the most important points in the manifesto.
PMK had come under severe criticism for having tied up with the AIADMK for the polls after having levelled corruption charges against the ruling party. Anbumani Ramadoss had met the Governor of Tamil Nadu and presented him a 200-page petition on AIADMK’s alleged corruption.