DMK fields Speaker Appavu again from Radhapuram; gifts ‘unlucky’ Ambasamudram to Congress

DMK fields Speaker Appavu again from Radhapuram; gifts ‘unlucky’ Ambasamudram to Congress

The DMK, while retaining the Radhapuram, Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai Assembly segments, has given away Ambasamudram constituency to the Indian National Congress apart from Nanguneri, as the Dravidian party suffered crushing defeat at Ambasamudram in the last three elections since 2011.

The ruling party, as expected, has fielded Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu from Radhapuram Assembly segment, where he won the previous polls in 2021 by a margin of 5,925 votes by defeating I. S. Inbadurai of AIADMK.

After he lost the 2019 polls to Mr. Inbadurai by a wafer thin margin of just 49 votes, Mr. Appavu challenged the outcome in the Madras High Court and then in the Supreme Court following discrepancies in counting of postal ballots. The verdict is pending with the Supreme Court till today even after the postal ballots were counted again under the Court monitoring in October 2019.

Under Section 86 (7) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the High Courts are mandated to conclude the trial of an election petition within six months from the date of filing. While this specific statutory time limit applies to the High Court, it does not strictly apply to appeals filed in the Supreme Court and hence the judgment is pending with the apex court since 2019.

Having implemented good number of development projects in his constituency like ₹ 605 crore drinking water scheme for 831 habitations, the second drinking water project costing ₹465 crore for Kalakkad municipality and seven town panchayats, ongoing construction of 1,000 houses for the poor, reconstruction of Valliyoor bus-stand and market, Government Hospital in Valliyoor, ongoing reconstruction of the damaged check-dam at Alanthuraiyar, groynes in the coastal hamlets, revival of the exclusive drinking water scheme for 13 coastal hamlets, sports complex in Vijayapathi near Koodankulam, Additional District Court in Valliyoor etc., Mr. Appavu, who was elected to the Assembly from this segment in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2021, is brimming with confidence of winning this election too.

DMK candidate for Palayamkottai Assembly constituency M. Abdul Wahab. | Photo Credit: SHAIKMOHIDEEN A