Congress renominates TN MLAs, keeps 8 tickets on hold

The Congress had five MLAs elected in 2011 but two of them later left along with G K Vasan.
The Congress announced 33 candidates Tuesday for the elections in Tamil Nadu, where it is contesting 41 seats. The party has renominated all three of its sitting MLAs —S Vijayadharani from Vilavancode, J G Prince from Colachel and legislature party leader K Gopinath from Hosur. The Congress had five MLAs elected in 2011 but two of them later left along with G K Vasan.
Sources said candidates for the remaining eight seats have been kept pending because of a lack of consensus. Former state Congress chief K V Thangkabalu is lobbying for a ticket for his son from Mylapore, another former TNCC chief, M Krishnaswamy, is eyeing Cheyyar for his son M K Vishnu Prasad, and TNCC treasurer N S Ramachandran wants Maduravoyal for his son. AICC secretary S Thirunavukkarasar’s son S T Ramachandran has bagged the Aranthangi ticket. Congress leader H Vasanthakumar, who contested the Lok Sabha poll from Kanyakumari, has been fielded from Nanguneri.
Also Tuesday, the BJP fielded M N Raja, son-in-law of former AIADMK minister Aranganayakam, against J Jayalalithaa in R K Nagar, while the PMK fielded P Agnes, its women’s wing secretary.