Around 500 nominations filed in TN on penultimate day

A day before nominations for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections close, Tamil Nadu saw brisk filing of nominations on Monday by key contestants for the state's 39 Lok Sabha seats and the bypolls for 18 assembly seats.

Tuesday is the last day for filing of nominations for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections (April 18) in which voting will be held across Tamil Nadu.

Contestants belonging to the AIADMK-led front that includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, the PMK, the DMDK, the NJP, the PT and the TMC, as well as the DMK-led front comprising of Congress, the IUML, the VCK, the MDMK, the CPI, the CPI-M, the IJK and the KDMK filed their nominations.

For AIAMDK-led front, top candidates like Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and AIADMK leader M. Thambidurai (Karur), BJP's Tamil Nadu President Tamilisai Soundararajan (Thoothukudi) and party leaders H. Raja (Sivaganga) and C.P. Radhakrishnan (Coimbatore), and PT's K. Krishnasamy (Tenkasi) filed their papers.

In the case of the DMK-led front, Kanimozhi and A. Raja, both from DMK, filed their papers from the Thoothukudi and Nilgiris constituencies, respectively.

Key contestants from Congress who had filed the election papers are: Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga), Su.Thirunavukkarasar (Trichy), E.V.K.S. Elangovan (Theni) and Jothimani (Karur).

VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan filed his papers for the Chidambaram seat.

Candidates of the AMMK led by T.T.V. Dhinakaran, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and others also filed their papers.

Similarly, contestants for the by-elections for the 18 assembly seats also filed their papers.

The last date for filing of nominations is Tuesday and scrutiny of the papers will take place on Wednesday.

The last day for withdrawal of nominations is March 29.

According to Election Commission, a total of 499 persons have filed their nomination papers.

--IANS

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