BJP fields Radhika Sarath Kumar from Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar

Chennai: The BJP has nominated actor-politician Radhika Sarath Kumar as its candidate in the Virudhunagar constituency for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls.

The party has fielded Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam from the Puducherry seat.

Meanwhile, the PMK has announced Soumya Anbumani, wife of party chief Anbumani Ramadoss, as the new candidate for Dharmapuri constituency.

Sowmiya Anbumani is the president of Pasumai Thayagam, an NGO involved in conservation of nature.

Actor R Sarath Kumar had recently merged his All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi and joined the BJP along with his wife.

As per the fourth list of candidates released by the BJP central election committee for 14 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry, advocate R C Paul Kanagaraj, who had merged his faction with the BJP three years ago, will contest from Chennai North Lok Sabha Constituency.

Another advocate by profession, A Ashwathaman, state secretary, has been nominated for Tiruvannamalai. State general secretary Pon V Balaganapathy has been fielded from the Tiruvallur reserved constituency.

The following are the remaining candidates and the constituencies from where they would seek a mandate: K P Ramalingam for Namakkal, A P Muruganandam (Tiruppur), K Vasantharajan (Pollachi), V V Senthilnathan (Karur), P Karthiyayini (Chidambaram reserved constituency), S G M Ramesh (Nagapattinam reserved constituency), M Muruganandam (Thanjavur), Devnathan Yadav (Sivaganga), state vice president Rama Sreenivasan (Madurai) and B John Pandian (Tenkasi reserved constituency).

Yadav is the founder of Indiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam and he would contest on the BJP's Lotus symbol.

The saffron party had on March 21 announced its first list of candidates for Tamil Nadu.

While the BJP would contest 19 seats (out of 39) in Tamil Nadu besides the lone Puducherry constituency, its major ally in Tamil Nadu the Pattali Makkal Katchi will contest from 10 seats, the Tamil Maanila Congress: 3, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam: 2 while former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will contest from Ramanthapuram.

In addition, the New Justice Party, Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi, Indiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam and Tamil Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, which have been allotted a seat each will contest on the Lotus symbol.

V S Nanthini has been announced as the candidate for the Vilavancode assembly by-election necessitated by the resignation of former Congress leader Vijaya Dharani who joined the BJP recently.