DMK to contest in Coimbatore after a decade; Theni could pose a challenge due to Ravindranath factor
The DMK is set to field its candidate in the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency after a decade. The last time a DMK candidate won this seat was in 1996. After finalising the seatsharing arrangement with its allies on Monday, the party retained the three seats in Chennai, and will contest in 17 other constituencies.
The Dravidian party contested in 21 constituencies in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, and there have been minor changes in the seats this time. The party has decided to enter the fray in Coimbatore, Arani and Theni, which it had allotted to its allies during the 2019 poll. This time, the DMK has also allotted constituencies where it has sitting MPs — Cuddalore, Dindigul, Mayiladuthurai and Tirunelveli — to its allies.
In the 2019 general election, the DMK also fielded candidates from other political parties in Erode, Namakkal, Perambalur and Villupuram on its ‘Rising Sun’ symbol. This time, it has decided to field its own candidates in Erode and Perambalur, while its ally, the Kongu Desa Makkal Katchi (KDMK), will field its candidate in Namakkal on the ‘Rising Sun’ symbol.
The DMK’s choice of candidate in Coimbatore is among the most awaited, as the constituency is considered a challenging turf for the party, and has been held not only by its archrival, the AIADMK, but also by the BJP.
The Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat comprises six Assembly segments; five of them are held by the AIADMK and one by the BJP’s national women’s wing secretary, Vanathi Srinivasan.
The DMK is perhaps hoping that its president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s visits to Coimbatore and Tiruppur, and the special focus he has accorded to the western region since the 2021 Assembly poll, would yield results.
Renominations likely
As DMK treasurer T.R. Baalu and deputy general secretaries Kanimozhi and A. Raja have been holding the Sriperumbudur, Thoothukudi and the Nilgiris (SC) constituencies, respectively, they are likely to be renominated. Ms. Kanimozhi’s was the only nomination received by the party for the Thoothukudi seat.
Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South are held by the DMK’s Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, Dayanidhi Maran and Sumathi, alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian, respectively. Mr. Veerasamy is the son of veteran DMK leader Arcot Veerasamy; Mr. Maran is the son of former Union Minister Murasoli Maran; and Ms. Thangapandian is the sister of Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu.
Theni might pose a challenge, should expelled AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam renominate his son, P. Ravindranath, either as part of an alliance or as an independent candidate. Mr. Ravindranath won the seat in 2019, defeating Congress candidate E.V.K.S. Elangovan. It has been a long time since the DMK fielded its own candidate in Theni.
The DMK will field its candidates in the Kancheepuram (SC), Arakkonam, Vellore, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Salem, Kallakurichi, Thanjavur, Tenkasi (SC), Perambalur, Erode and Arani Lok Sabha constituencies, too.
With the filing of nominations set to commence in the next few days, the DMK is expected to announce its candidates soon.