Mahendran is CPI candidate for RK Nagar bypoll

Chennai: The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Friday named its senior leader and national council member C. Mahendran as Left parties’ consensus candidate against AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa for the June 27 Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar bypoll. Mr Mahendran’s candidature was decided at the meeting of the party’s state secretariat attended by CPI national secretary D. Raja and state secretary R. Mutharasan.

In the joint press conference with the CPI (M), Mr Raja said the party, with the support of the Marxists, was contesting the elections to uphold parliamentary democracy even as other Opposition parties boycotted it. “We believe people of R.K. Nagar constituency will welcome Left parties contesting together. The Communist parties contesting this election will have a big impact on state politics,” he said.

Mr Mahendran (62), who is going to contest elections for the first time, is a full-time member of the party for the past 40 years. He joined the CPI when 19 and held various posts in the party’s students and youth wing. He is the editor of Thamarai, a literary magazine founded by late Communist leader P. Jeevanandam. He had unsuccessfully contested for the party’s secretary post in February this year. “I will make use of this opportunity to expose election malpractices and misuse of government machinery to the people,” he told DC. Corruption at the top level would be main focus of his election campaign, he said, adding that since Ms Jayalalithaa is contesting the polls, many political issues will be raised.

Mr Mahendran said this is the constituency with maximum number of poor people in the city. “Due to garbage dumping yard, people in the constituency face pollution-related ailments,” he said, adding that issue of development would be the main point of the campaign. Mr Mutharasan said Mr Mahendran would file his nomination papers on June 9. He alleged that former AIADMK MLA, who represented the seat for the past four years, had not done any good for the people. “A railway overbridge work in Korukkupet is pending for the past seven years,” he said. CPI (M) state secretary G. Ramakrishnan said they were facing the election on the strength of their ideology unlike others who are contesting with the support of money power.