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Lok Sabha elections: Karti Chidambaram, minorities missing from Congress's first list

CHENNAI: The first list of the Congress in Tamil Nadu - ignoring the minority community and delaying announcement of the candidate for Sivaganga - has evoked mixed reactions from the party. Chidambaram supporters are worried about Karti 's name not on the first list, as he had started ground work for the poll in Sivaganga some time ago.





The Chidambarams are under investigation by CBI and ED for alleged irregularities in the grant of foreign investment promotion board clearances in Aircel-Maxis and INX media deals. The father-son duo has been seeking anticipatory bail and central agencies have demanded their custodial interrogation citing non-cooperation. The CBI registered FIR in May 2017 in the INX media case and Karti spent 22 days in Delhi's Tihar jail before being let out on bail by Delhi high court. "Only FIR has been registered against him. His father has been pushing for his candidature with the high command," a close associate of Karti said.

While there were indications that a Christian would be nominated for Kanyakumari seat, the party chose to give it to H Vasanthakumar. The sitting Nanguneri MLA secured 2.44 lakh votes in 2014, when Congress went alone.

"It is unfortunate the minorities will not have a voice in Parliament. Minorities are a traditional vote bank of the Congress and considered it their own party. They are hurt," said party senior Peter Alphonse. N Dennis of the Congress had won Nagercoil LS seat six times before the delimitation.

While the party cadres in Theni expected two-time Congress MP, J M Aaroon Rashid to be fielded, the party has chosen former Union minister EVKS Elangovan, an outsider. Aaroon had recently undergone knee replacement surgery. The high command also ignored his request to give the seat to his elder son and Youth Congress state president, Hassan Moulana. Despite recording successive victories in the first three general elections, Congress could not establish itself in Theni till Aaroon emerged on the scene. The AIADMK has been most successful in Theni with seven victories. "My victory is certain as people know me as a clean politician with 45 years of public life. They are averse to Modi and the corrupt AIADMK government. There will not be any problem for me," Elangovan told TOI. He won Krishnagiri and Erode in 1996 and 1999 respectively.

The Congress leadership has nominated former union minister Su Thirunavukkarasar, who was relieved of the post of TNCC chief recently, for Trichy. He faced tough competition from Joseph Louis, elder son of L Adaikalaraj, who represented Trichy four times in the Parliament. Since the AIADMK alliance has allotted the segment to its ally, DMDK, which has fielded Dharmapuri-based V Elangovan, Congress cadres said familiarity of their candidate among public would give him an advantage. The candidature of the 69-year-old leader in Trichy is an effort to revive the party, which has been losing its ground in the region, said P Govindarajan, president of Trichy Congress (south) district unit.

On the expected lines, M K Vishnu Prasad, a Vanniyar leader, has been offered Arani. He is the son of former TNCC chief M Krishnaswamy and brother-in-law of PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss . No wonder the PMK agreed to swap its bastion, Arani with Dindigul, where it does not even have a base. "The seat is considered the family's private property," said a senior leader. Krishnaswamy won the seat in 2009. He had won from the erstwhile Vadavasi LS seat in 1991. Another working president K Jayakumar gets Tiruvallur, the only reserved seat of Congress, amid competition from former MP P Viswanathan and SC/ST wing president Selvaperunthagai. AICC secretaries, A Chellakumar, and Manickam Tagore have been given tickets for Krishnagiri and Virudhunagar . Both have clout in the Rahul camp.

(With inputs from Deepak Karthik, Padmini Sivarajah and M K Ananth)

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