Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) leader Premalatha Vijayakant filed her nomination papers to contest from Virudhachalam Assembly constituency on Thursday. Premalatha who is the DMDK treasurer will be facing her first elections in 2021.
Days after the DMDK announced electoral alliance with TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), Premalatha Vijayakant filed nomination papers as a candidate in Virudhachalam Assembly constituency. The constituency bears significance to DMDK because DMDK Founder and Premalatha Vijayakant’s husband Vijayakant won his electoral debut from Virudhachalam in 2006. In 2011, DMDK candidate V Muthukumar contested and won the seat. However, in 2016, AIADMK candidate VT Kalaiselvan contested and won in Virudhachalam.
Speaking to the media after filing her nomination papers, Premalatha said that instead of blaming others, DMDK’s aim is to do good for the people in the constituencies they win. Dismissing statements that the party has declined compared to its might a few years ago in terms of pulling crowds to the rallies, Premalatha said, “Due to coronavirus-induced pandemic, people are not allowed to congregate. You will see (our strength) on May 2 when the results come.”
DMDK pulled out of its alliance with AIADMK after seat-sharing talks failed to materialise. The party then announced that it is joining hands with TTV Dhinakaran and will contest in 60 seats for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. After forging the alliance, TTV Dhinakaran called it the ‘People’s Front’ and said that the alliance was formed keeping in mind the larger interests of the welfare of the people in the state. He also urged AMMK cadres and the functionaries who have been allotted tickets and then have been made to withdraw their candidature to not get disheartened and to work for the collective victory.
Tamil Nadu will go to polls on April 6 in a single phase and the results will be out on May 2.