Just a day after AIADMK announced their seat sharing break-up with their allies, a section of party workers took to the streets to show their discontent. On Thursday, party workers protested against allocation of constituencies from their home turf and instead demanded for seats to be set aside for their own partymen in the upcoming Assembly elections. AIADMK workers protested against giving away the Egmore segment in Chennai to ally Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, while according to reports, DMK cadres raised slogans against parting with the Ponneri constituency to Congress. They also protested from the Aranthangi in Pudukottai district on Wednesday when it was reported that the party may allocate it to the Congress.
The ruling AIADMK party men also protested against allocation of Poonamalle and Gummidipoondi constituencies to ally PMK. Upset over omission of Labour Minister Nilofer Kafeel's name in the AIADMK list so far, her supporters in Vaniyambadi said that the ruling party should not expect any votes from people of the region.
Similarly, in Sivaganga, AIADMK's Khadi and Village Industries Board Minister G Baskaran's supporters protested against him not being nominated. AIADMK workers staged protests in other places as well including Srivilliputhur, Cheyyur and Chengalpet against the official nominees and wanted them to be replaced.
In Vriddhachalam, AIADMK MLA VT Kalaiselvan's supporters staged a protest in the town. The AIADMK had given this seat to its ally PMK which has fielded its district secretary G Karthikeyan in the seat.
Meanwhile, in Kallakurichi, supporters of former MLA K Alaguvelu Babu, who had won the seat in the 2011 election, staged a protest demanding his nomination. AIADMK has allotted the seat to a newcomer, Senthil Kumar, leaving aside its sitting MLA A Prabhu.
Notably, both Kalaiselvan and Alaguvelu Babu had jumped ship to AMMK in 2018 and then returned to AIADMK, which could have resulted in this decision by party authorities.
The AIADMK on Wednesday announced its second list of 171 candidates, taking the total nominees declared so far to 182. DMK's complete list is expected to be announced on Friday.
(With inputs from PTI)