Chennai: With tomorrow (19 March) being the last day to file nominations to contest in the 6 April Assembly polls and Kanyakumari Lok Sabha by-election in Tamilnadu, a last minute rush was seen at election offices across the State today.
Prominent among those who filed their papers for the Assemby polls included BJP State President L Murugan (Dharapuram-R), actress Khushbu Sundar (Thousand Lights), BJP vice-president and former IPS officer K Annamalai (Aravakurichi), DMDK treasurer Premalatha Vijayakanth (Vridhachalam), who is the wife of party founder and actor Vijayakanth, among others.
Congress candidate Vijay Vasanth, son of H Vasanthakumar, whose death led to bypoll for Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha seat, filed his papers today.
Premalatha was accompanied by her brother and party leader L K Sudhish. Khushbu, an actress-turned-politician, held a roadshow near Valluvarkotam, ahead of filing her nomination from Thousand Lights Assembly constituency.
Vijayakanth had contested from Vridhachalam in 2006 within six months of floating his own party and won by a good margin, polling more than 40 per cent votes.
While BJP is facing the polls as part of the ruling AIADMK Front, DMDK had walked out of the AIADMK alliance following failure of seat-sharing talks and allied with the AMMK of
TTV Dhinakaran, who is the nephew of late J Jayalalithaa’s close-aide V K Sasikala.
Disgruntled AIADMK MLA and former Minister Thoppu N Venkatachalam, who was denied ticket this time entered the fray as Independent and filed his papers at Perunthurai from where he was elected in 2016 Assembly polls.
Another sitting AIADMK MLA C Chandrasekaran, who was elected from Senthamangalam-(R) was also denied ticket this time and filed his nomination as an Independent from the same seat.
Besides, candidates of various parties, including the DMK, Makkal Neethi Maim of actor-politician Kamal Haasan, AMMK and Naam Tamizhar Katchi also filed their papers in their respective constituencies before the Returning Officer.