Chennai : The candidate list of all major political parties other than the Congress have been released with the PMK naming Sowmiya Anbumani, wife of party president Anbumani Ramadoss, for Dharmapuri constituency and film director Thangar Bacchan for Cuddalore and many contestants across parties starting their preliminary campaign work in all the 39 constituencies across the State and DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin launching his State-wide tour from Trichy on Friday.The BJP’s list had actor Radhika Sarathkumar, contesting from Virudhunagar, and B John Pandian of Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, contesting from Tenkasi for the April 19 elections. Other prominent names in the BJP list are R C Paul Kanagaraj (North Chennai), K P Ramalingam (Namakkal) and P Karthiyayini (Chidambaram). While the PMK, AMMK and TMC, which named two candidates for the three seats allotted by the BJP, have retained their traditional symbols – Mango, Pressure Cooker and Bicycle, respectively – the Naam Tamilar Katchi that lost the old symbol of Farmer has been allotted the ‘Microphone’ which the party would have to popularize in all the 39 constituencies where they would field candidates. Though nominations have opened, candidates of the major political parties are yet to start filing their papers. Once the Congress releases its list of 10 candidates, including Puducherry, the entire line up of contestants in all the constituencies would be known. The Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, an ally of the DMK, changed its candidate after an old video of him making a hate speech in favour of his caste went viral on social media. Now V S Maheswaran will contest from Namakkal, the lone seat allotted to the party by the coalition. As of now, for the Vilavancode Assembly by-election, the BJP has nominated a local woman leader, Nandini, and the AIADMK, too, has a woman nominee. Only after the Congress candidate is announced will it be known as to how the contest will be in the constituency that voted for a woman candidate, Vijayadharani of the Congress party, in the last three consecutive elections. Besides AIADMK general secretary embarking on a whirlwind tour of the State from Sunday, the electoral scene would witness several national leaders from the BJP and Congress campaigning here. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had already paid a series of back-to-back visits to the State recently, is likely to canvass votes for his party nominees. Since BJP State President K Annamalai is a candidate in Coimbatore and would not be able to concentrate on other constituencies, national leaders like Nirmala Seetharam, Amit Shah and others are expected to campaign for their candidates. The Congress, too, might have their top leaders visiting the State including those like Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,
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