DMK asks Cong not to field candidates on Arani, Karur & Tiruchi LS seats

Chennai: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has asked the Congress not to field its candidates for Tiruchi, Arani and Karur Lok Sabha seats.

However, DMK has agreed with the grand-old party to field its candidates on all nine seats which are currently held by the party.

A senior DMK leader told IANS that the local DMK units including district units are not happy with local Congress leadership in Arani and Karur while in Tiruchi DMK wants MDMK leader Durai Vaiko to contest.

The sitting Karur MP, Jothimani is not on good terms with the Karur unit of the DMK led by jailed former minister Senthil Balaaji who controls the party in the area.

DMK’s Arani leadership also does not favour the sitting Congress MP, M.K. Vishnuprasad. The party’s local units want both these seats to be taken back by the DMK.

For Tiruchi, DMK state leadership wants to field MDMK leader Vaiko‘s son, Durai Vaiko, with Stalin taking special interest in the seat.

DMK is willing to allot Kanniyakumari,Tiruvallur, Krishnagiri, Virudhunagar and Sivaganga seats to Congress. In addition, DMK has also agreed to give Theni Lok Sabha seat to the Congress which was the lone seat that the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) lost in 2019 when senior Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan lost to P. Raveendranathan of AIADMK.

DMK sources told IANS that the party is willing to allocate Cuddalore and Myladuthurai to Congress instead of Arani and Tiruchi.

The newly elected Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President, K. Selvaperunthagai has been conducting discussions with the DMK leadership for considering allocating the Karur seat to sitting Congress MP Jothimani.