Vikravandi by-election picks up momentum

Chennai: The day after the Election Commission of India announced July 10 as the date for the by-election to the Vikravandi Assembly constituency in Villupuram district, the DMK started the preparations for the polls by naming Anniyur Siva as its candidate and also appointing new secretaries for the party’s Villupuram North and Villupuram South districts.

The post of Villupuram South district secretary was lying vacant since the passing away of N Pugazethi, who was the previous Vikravadi MLA and the district secretary, in April during the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. The party post vacancy was filled up on Tuesday with general secretary, Duraimurugan, appointing Gautham Sigamani as the district secretary.

Duraimurugan also relieved the present secretary of Villupuram North District, K S Masthan, a State Minister, from the responsibility and appointed P Sekar as the coordinator for the district. Both Gautham Sigamani and Sekar will be overseeing the work related to the by-election to campaign for Anniyur Siva.

The PMK, too, is interested in fielding a candidate in the by-election. A meeting of party functionaries at Thailapuram on Thursday will take a call on it and also finalise the candidate who will be taking on the DMK nominee.

After finalizing the candidate at the meeting with party head honchos S Ramadoss and Anbumani Ramadoss, the party would approach the BJP and other allies to seek their support in the election. The PMK is keen on wresting the seat, which falls under the Vanniyar belt, to enthuse its cadre following its debacle in the Lok Sabha polls.

AIADMK functionaries, too, held a meeting with their leader C Ve Shanmugam presiding over it to discuss the by-election. Though the decision has not been made public, the talk is that former MLA from the same constituency R Muthamilselvan might be nominated by the party.

Muthamilselvan had won the seat in 2019 when a by-election was held there following the death of the then DMK MLA, K Rathamani. However, in the subsequent general election in 2021, Muthamilselvan lost to DMK’s Pugazhenthi.

Once AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami approved of the candidate proposed by the local unit of the party, the name would be announced, sources said, adding that the party is keen on taking back the seat tjhat it had won it in 2019.

The Naam Tamilar Katchi, whose candidate Sheeba Asmi had polled 8, 216 votes in 2021, will also jump into the fray, making it a four cornered keenly contested fight with the DMK going all out to ensure victory of its candidate Anniyur Siva in the first by-election after the Lok Sabha polls to fill the vacancy caused by the death of its member.