DMK announces Anniyur Siva as candidate for Vikravandi bypoll

VILLUPURAM/CHENNAI: The ruling DMK is keen to extend its winning streak and retain Vikravandi assembly seat in Villupuram district which will go to polls on July 10.
Chief minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday announced Anniyur Siva as the candidate for Vikravandi byelection. Siva is the secretary of DMK’s agricultural labourers’ wing.
The seat fell vacant after DMK MLA N Pugazhenthi, 69, died in April this year at Mundiayambakkam govt medical college hospital in the district after prolonged illness.Vikravandi assembly segment, which was formed after delimitation exercise in 2011, faced three assembly polls and one bypoll. DMK won twice and AIADMK and CPM (in alliance with AIADMK) once in the last four polls in this agrarian constituency.
Earlier in the day, Stalin held a meeting with ministers Duraimurugan, K N Nehru, E V Velu, K Ponmudy and K S Masthan and MP Kanimozhi to evolve strategies to retain Vikravandi assembly seat.
The party announced new district in-charges for Villupuram north and south districts making it clear the need to go all-out in extending its winning streak.
Ponmudy’s son and former MP Goutham Sigamani was appointed in charge for Villupuram south district while P Sekar would be in charge for Villupuram north district, replacing Masthan.
PMK, which has a strong presence in the district, has proposed to contest by-poll with the support of its alliance partners BJP and AMMK, leading to a multi-cornered contest with AIADMK in alliance with DMDK and NTK joining the fray. The constituency boasts of a presence of a considerable number of sugar mills, modern rice mills, professional private colleges and a spinning mill. Paddy and sugarcane are the chief crops cultivated in this constituency.
Nomination for the bypoll commences on June 14 and last date for filing nomination is on June 21. Polling is on July 10 and results will be announced on July 13.