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Dynasties rise in Dravidian parties

Last Updated 11 April 2019, 12:01 IST

Dynastic politics isn’t new to Tamil Nadu and when the DMK and the AIADMK released their candidates’ list for the April 18 Lok Sabha polls, sons and daughters of senior party leaders ruled the roost.

The DMK handed out tickets to four sons and two daughters of their leaders who had held or still hold key positions in the party.

Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Tamizhachi Thangapandian, Dayanidhi Maran, Kalanidhi Veerasamy, Kathir Anand and Gowtham Sigamani are the six candidates who hail from political dynasties.

The AIADMK, which had so far claimed that it was not interested in promoting dynastic politics, gave tickets to children of four prominent personalities — one is a sitting MP Jayavardhan Jayakumar from Chennai.

While Kanimozhi is the daughter of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi, Tamizhachi is the daughter of late DMK minister Thangapandian. Dayanidhi Maran, a two-time MP, is the son of late DMK veteran Murasoli Maran, Kalanithi is the son of former DMK minister Arcot N Veerasamy, while Kathir and Gowtham are children of DMK treasurer Durai Murugan and former minister K Ponmudy.

Kanimozhi, whose half-brother M K Stalin is the DMK president, will make her Lok Sabha debut from Thoothukudi, while Tamizhachi will test electoral waters from Chennai South — one of the three seats in the state capital.

Downplaying the preference given to children of senior leaders, Stalin told reporters that candidates were chosen through the “democratic process” of interviewing those who expressed interest to contest the polls.

In AIADMK, deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam’s son O P Ravindranath, Madurai strong man Rajan Chellappa’s son Raj Sathiyan and P H Pandian’s son Manoj Pandian will contest from Theni, Madurai and Tirunelveli.

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(Published 18 March 2019, 06:22 IST)

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