AIADMK names candidate

Dharmapuri AIADMK secretary T.R. Anbazhagan is likely to be nominated as the party’s candidate for the Pennagaram by-polls scheduled for March 27.
Mr Anbazhagan, 44, is a local heavyweight and was earlier the party’s union secretary for Pennagaram. He had unsuccessfully contested against PMK’s G.K. Mani in the 1996 elections.
This time he is taking on the DMK’s P.N.P. Inbasekaran, son of DMK legislator P.N. Periannan, whose death has necessitated the by-election. PMK has already announced Tamizhkumaran, son of party president G.K. Mani as its candidate and Vijayakanth’s DMDK is yet to announce its nominee.
Pennagaram has emerged as a prestigious Assembly constituency for the rival parties. The ruling DMK is keen on retaining it and for the PMK it’s vital to win to retain it’s reputation in this Vanniyar dominated constituency. Dr Ramadoss who snapped ties with the AIADMK, had appealed to the Opposition parties to support a common candidate against the DMK.
DMK treasurer and state deputy chief minister M.K. Stalin, who is touring TN launching welfare schemes, had camped in Pennagaram for two days disbursing state aids to the public.
The party was in a buoyant mood when the elections were earlier announced for Jan. 20 and its leadership later expressed displeasure when the election commission rescheduled the poll dates following representation from the opposition parties that the Pongal festivities would get in the way of the election.
With the major parties gearing up, the campaign will hot up in the coming days. The DMK, which commenced the fluorosis mitigation project — Hogenakkal combined drinking water project, will play the development
card and the opposition
parties will raise a host
of issues including the Mullaiperiyar dam.