TVK fields ex-MLA in Tirunelveli district

S. Maria John

R.S. Murugan.

S. Rajagopal.

A. Rajaprakash

C. Ramarajan

R. Amutharani

K. Satheesh Christopher

Actor Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam has fielded businessman, leading highways contractor and a former MLA in Tirunelveli district while the party has nominated little-known candidates in neighbouring Tenkasi district.

Former MLA of Nanguneri, Reddiyarpatti V. Narayanan, who resigned from the AIADMK in protest against allotting this constituency to T.T.V. Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, and subsequently joined the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam on Saturday night, has been fielded in this segment.

“Since I got elected in the by-election in 2019, I could serve the people only for 2 years. However, my contact with the people continued even after my tenure ended in 2021. I worked really hard for the public cause and maintained good rapport with them. However, the AIADMK high command betrayed me, an ardent loyalist of party founder M.G. Ramachandran, for supporting a betrayer like Mr. Dhinakaran. Hence, I left the party and joined TVK which has fielded me in Nanguneri in recognition of my good work,” Mr. Narayanan told The Hindu from Chennai.

In Palayamkotti, TVK has nominated renowned builder and timber importer S. Maria John, who used to serve food to the devotees taking ‘padayatra’ to Tiruchendur Murugan temple, the devotees offering prayers in the temples during ‘Shivaratri’ and donate free notebooks to the students of Muslim Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Melapalayam.

The TVK has chosen R.S. Murugan, one of the high-profile highways contractors of Tamil Nadu, for Tirunelveli segment. Even though he was a small contractor in the beginning, Mr. Murugan achieved roaring success in the business in a very short span by getting high-worth contracts after he became close to O. Panneerselvam as they belong to same community. Apart from the bulky State highways contracts, Mr. Murugan also started getting 4-lane national highways contacts of enviable quantum as his contacts expanded up to Delhi through Mr. Panneerselvam and other AIADMK leaders.

As the DMK came to power in 2021 and AIADMK was staring at a fissure with Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam leading their factions after the demise of party supremo Jayalalithaa, Mr. Murugan joined the DMK a few months ago with an eye Nanguneri constituency since he is from Vijayanarayanam, a small hamlet in this segment. Since this constituency is now represented by Congress MLA Ruby R. Manoharan, the DMK could not allot Nanguneri segment to Mr. Murugan after upsetting its chief ally.

Frustrated over this, he joined the TVK to be fielded in Tirunelveli as its candidate and he will take on AIADMK’s Thatchai N. Ganesaraja and DMK’s S. Subramanian.

The party has hand-picked one S. Rajagopal, an electrician, for Ambasamudram and K. Satheesh Christopher for Radhapuram.

In Tenkasi district, the TVK has fielded C. Ramarajan in Sankarankovil (Reserve), R. Amudha Rani in Vasudevanallur (Reserve), R.K. Abdul Jalil in Kadayanallur, A. Raja Prakash in Tenkasi and V. Vipin Chakravarthi in Alangulam.