Puducherry election: DMK releases candidate list for 13 seats, earmarks one seat for VCK

The DMK has finalised candidates for 13 of its 14 seats (as part of the INDIA bloc) in the April 9 Puducherry Assembly elections, with party convenor and Leader of Opposition R. Siva seeking re-election from Villianur.

As part of the seat-sharing arrangement, the DMK has set aside Ozhukarai for its ally, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). However, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan had said that the party would contest the elections alone and field candidates in three seats.

Among the sitting MLAs, R. Senthil Kumar will seek to retain the Bahour seat, L. Sambath the Mudaliarpet segment, V. Annibal Kennedy the Uppalam constituency, AHM Nazeem the Karaikal South seat, and M. Nagathiyarajan the Neravy TR Pattinam segment, also in Karaikal.

P. Angalane, an Independent legislator who recently joined the DMK, will seek re-election from Thirubhuvanai (SC) while Vignesh Kannan, son of the late veteran politician P. Kannan, has been fielded in Raj Bhavan.

The DMK has fielded S.S. Rangan to take on Chief Minister and AINRC supremo N. Rangasamy in Mangalam. S. Gopal is the candidate in Orleanpet; V. Karthikeyan will contest in in Nellithope, A. Senthil in Kalapet, and P. Vadivel in Kadirgamam.