Tamil Nadu Assembly polls: CPI fields veterans in all five seats

Chennai: The CPI, an ally of the ruling DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, has fielded veteran party functionaries as its nominees for the five seats allotted to it for the Assembly elections scheduled next month.

Accordingly, K Marimuthu, 55, a State executive council member, has been fielded from the Thiruthuraipoondi Assembly constituency for the second time. He had won the seat in the 2021 Assembly elections.

Similarly, the party has fielded veteran leader T Ramachandran, 58, from the Thalli constituency in Krishnagiri district. He had won the seat in 2006, 2011 and 2021.

Ramachandran is the CPI’s Krishnagiri district secretary and a member of its National Committee. He will be contesting from Thalli for the fifth time, the party said.

Meanwhile, the CPI has nominated P L Sundaram, 57, for the Bhavanisagar Assembly constituency.

A long-time party member since 1989, Sundaram had won the seat in 2016 but lost to AIADMK’s A. Bannari in 2021, finishing as runner-up.

The party has also fielded its State deputy secretary, Ravi alias M Subramanian, 69, from the Tiruppur North constituency. A CPI member since 1973, he has held various positions in the party, including Tiruppur district secretary, and served as a municipal councillor from 1986 to 1991.

For the Srivilliputhur Assembly constituency, the CPI has fielded B Mahalingam, 52, who has held various positions in the party, including Deputy Secretary and Virudhunagar district committee member.

The DMK, which heads the Secular Progressive Alliance, has allotted five seats each to the CPI and the CPI(M) after several rounds of discussions for the April 23 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.