NDA partner AMMK announces Lok Sabha candidates for Tamil Nadu

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 24 (ANI): After sewing up a seat-sharing deal with the BJP, the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK) on Sunday unveiled its candidates for the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections.

AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran announced the names of the party’s Lok Sabha candidates.

The AMMK will contest two seats in the DMK-ruled southern state, as part of a seat-sharing deal with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Dhinakaran, himself, will contest the Theni Lok Sabha seat while Senthilnathan will be the NDA’s pick from Trichy.

“AMMK will contest two seats in Tamil Nadu as a partner in the NDA. I would contest Theni while Senthilnathan would file his nomination papers from Trichy,” Dhinakaran told reporters on Sunday.

“Let the people now decide who wins from Theni. I got the name ‘Makkal Selvan’ (people’s hero) from Theni. I have worked in the constituency before and the people, here, know me well.”

“My dear friend O Pannerselvam’s son, OP Ravindhranath, is the present MP (from Theni). When I came here last month, they (the sitting MP and his father) asked me to contest this seat. The people, too, requested that I fight the Lok Sabha elections from Theni. Then I spoke with Pannerselvam and other leaders in the alliance. OPS eventually decided to set aside the seat for me and contest Ramanathapuram instead. He would win and so would I,” Dhinakaran said.

Apart from the AMMK, the NDA also entered into a seat-sharing agreement with the Ambumani Ramadoss-led Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), going into the Lok Sabha polls.

Voting for all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in the first phase of the general elections on April 19.

In the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats in the state.

In 2019, DMK won 23 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress bagged 8 and the CPI 2.