Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK chief MK Stalin on Saturday released the first list of candidates, naming O Panneerselvam from Bodinayakkanur seat and former minister Senthil Balaji from Coimbatore South. CM Stalin announced the first list of candidates for Tamil Nadu elections.
The DMK chief announced that his party will contest 164 seats in the 234-Tamil Nadu assembly. In the party's list, Stalin has retained most of his ministers, MLAs and senior leaders.
Congress will contest 28 seats in the state, while DMDK has been allotted 10 seats, VCK 8, and both CPI and CPM getting five seats each.
Chief minister Stalin has been renominated from his Kolathur seat, while his son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi will contest from Chepauk-Triplicane.
State ministers Durai Murugan, K N Nehru Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Thangam Thennarasu, Ma Subramanian, and EV Velu have also been named in the candidates' list.
Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, who recently joined DMK, has been fielded from Bodinayakkanur. Two of Panneerselvam's colleagues, Paul Manoj Pandian and R Vaithilingam, who also switched to DMK, have also been given tickets.