The ruling DMK on Monday released two lists of candidates for the urban civic polls on February 19 and the main opposition AIADMK continued to announce nominees for the second successive day while the BJP said it would face the elections on its own. The two lists named candidates for the districts of Villupuram, Thanjavur, Thoothukudi, Kanchipuram, Vellore and Tirunelveli. The DMK nominees for the other districts would be announced later. Indicating friction in seat-sharing with the DMK, Congress MP Jothimani left the local office of the party in Karur District in a huff.
The AIADMK, which released its first list on January 30, came up with two more lists today. The main Opposition party announced nominees for the districts of Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi. Also, it named candidates for Theni, Kancheepuram, Chengelpet, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Erode, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Dindigul, Kanyakumari, Nilgiris, Tenkasi and Ariyalur. The BJP said it would fight the polls on its own and that its alliance with the AIADMK remained intact.
State BJP president K Annamalai said the AIADMK leadership came forward to allot 10 per cent of seats. The AIADMK, given its compulsions, could not accommodate the saffron party as regards the number of seats and the aspiration of cadres to contest in more segments was conveyed to the national leadership, he told reporters.
Asked if the BJP legislator Nainar Nagendran’s recent ‘AIADMK does not have spine’ remark had a bearing on the Dravidian party’s stand on seats, Annamalai apologetically said sometimes remarks turn out to be contradictory. The expression of regret for Nagendran’s remark was immediately conveyed by the MLA and others to the AIADMK leadership and both the parties did not blow up issue, he said.
“Everyone has forgotten that.” Top AIADMK leader K Palaniswami told reporters in Salem that his party and BJP would face the polls separately. As regards elections in future, the stand of the AIADMK would be made known at the appropriate time, he said. On Nagendran’s remark, Palaniswami said the MLA himself has already expressed regret. The Pattali Makkal Katchi, and actor-politician Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam were among others who have named candidates. The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission said it has received 1,468 nominations till date. Polls would be held in a single phase for 12,838 posts of ward members in corporations, municipalities and town panchayats. Counting of votes would begin on February 22.
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