New faces in DMK’s list of candidates

Former MLAs N. Maalai Raja and A.L.S. Lakshmanan sidelined

The DMK’s list of candidates for the upcoming election for Tirunelveli Corporation wards is full of surprise as novices have been given tickets while the party heavyweights have been shown the door.

Though DMK heavyweights and former MLAs N. Maalai Raja and A.L.S. Lakshmanan, with an eye on the mayoral post, had submitted their applications, they have been sidelined. After losing the Assembly polls, both Mr. Maalai Raja and Mr. Lakshmanan, who were keeping low profile for sometime, desperately wanted to underline their presence in the political arena with a big bang and the upcoming election for Tirunelveli Corporation gave them the much-needed opportunity.

While Mr. Maalai Raja was known as the staunch supporter of ‘Madurai Strongman’ M.K. Alagiri, Mr. Lakshmanan’s poor performance as Tirunelveli MLA have denied them the tickets, the party sources said. However, the denial of tickets has made the political road ahead of them really tough.