AIADMK interviews aspirants for LS polls

CHENNAI: Kick-starting the next phase of preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami interviewed seat aspirants at the party headquarters on Sunday, while his bete noire O Panneerselvam held a similar exercise at a hotel in the city.

The latter announced this in the eleventh hour after inviting applications on Saturday for the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone one in Puducherry. Commencing the two-day exercise, Palaniswami and senior leaders interviewed aspirants for Tiruvallur (reserved), Chennai North, South and Central, Sriperumbudur and Kancheepuram, and 14 other constituencies in Ranipet, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Salem, Coimbatore and other western districts. The process would continue on Monday for 20 constituencies in Delta and southern districts.

The AIADMK reportedly received around 2,400 applications. The party started the process without finalising the alliance, as there is no clarity yet on the PMK’s stance. “We want to be ready with plan B. So, we are in the process of shortlisting potential candidates for all 40 seats. It will come in handy if our plan A doesn’t work out,” said an insider, hinting at the uncertainty over the PMK joining the alliance.

Stating that alliance talks were going amicably, Palaniswami said, “At present, we are not sure about constituencies that go to our allies. Everyone should keep away their differences and work for the victory of our candidates. If there is any issue, we should sort it out among ourselves.”

Meanwhile, the rival faction did not fail to amuse political observers. Panneerselvam on Saturday invited his supporters to appear for the interview on Sunday in Chennai."We received an overwhelming response from functionaries. We have received nearly 1,000 applications and the interview is going on," claimed State election wing secretary of the OPS faction, A Subburathinam.

He added that they would continue to receive applications till Monday. The shortlisted candidates would contest on behalf of the AIADMK Thondargal Urimai Meetpu Kuzhu, which was formed to retrieve the party from Palaniswami and his supporters.

While talking to the media, Panneerselvam's supporter R Vaithilingam said the response from the party candidates to their leader's call was fantastic. "We will soon make an announcement," he said when asked about the alliance.Though Panneerselvam was not invited to the recent public meetings addressed by Prime Narendra Modi in Tamil Nadu, the former coordinator of the AIADMK reiterated that they were an integral part of the BJP-led NDA.His son P Ravindhranath Kumar was the only AIADMK candidate to win the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.