Selections ruffle Namakkal DMK cadres

By A. V. Ragunathan

NAMAKKAL, APRIL 19. The discontent within the Namakkal district DMK has come to the fore with the resignation of Ms. R. R. Thamayanthi, secretary of the State women propaganda wing, from primary membership of the party.

The MLA from Kabilarmalai, Mr. K. K. Veerappan, is also opting to contest from the constituency as Independent.

Party sources say the resentment among the rank and file would not have assumed such serious proportions, had the leadership paid due attention in the selection of candidates for the Assembly elections.

The sources point out that Ms. Thamayanthi was also occupying other positions such as president of the District Cooperative Union and Director of the Tamil Nadu State Cooperative Union.

In 1996, she contested the Assembly elections from Rasipuram but lost to the AIADMK candidate, Mr. P. R. Sundaram, by a thin margin of 454 votes. While Mr. Sundaram polled 42,294 votes, Ms. Thamayanthi secured 41,840 votes.

She hoped that in the coming elections too, she would be fielded from Rasipuram. But the seat has been given to Mr. K. P. Ramalingam, former MP.

Without concealing her displeasure at the turn of events, she has openly declared that she is resigning from the party post as well as from the primary membership. As such, Mr. Ramalingam has to weather the storm within the party and take the cadres together - a tough proposition indeed.

The party sources say that contrary to the expectations that Mr. Veerappan would be asked to contest again in Kabilarmalai, the leadership has deemed it fit to field Mr. S. Gandhi Selvan, Namakkal district secretary.

This has left the partymen baffled, because Mr. Veerappan emerged victorious in 1996 by a massive margin of about 30,000 votes. Mr. Veerappan polled 64,605 votes, leaving his closest rival Mr. R. Rajalingam way behind (who scored 34,895 votes).

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Section  : Southern States
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