Tamil Nadu polls: A battle of senior leaders in Vedaranyam

Nagapattinam (TN):  Vedaranyam assembly constituency will witness a battle of senior leaders of major political parties for the 16 May Tamil Nadu assembly polls. While the ruling AIADMK has fielded party strongman and former Rajya Sabha member O S Manian, Congress has nominated industrialist and former MLA P V Rajendran. Congress is a partner of the DMK alliance. The BJP has fielded former DMK strongman and three-time MLA S K Vedaratnam.

The DMDK has nominated advocate Vairanathan. PMK’s district women wing secretary Usha Kannan is also in the fray. The popularity and support base enjoyed by O S Manian, P V Rajendran and SK Vedaratnam have made the battle for ballots all the more curious and stiff. Since 1977, DMK has won this seat five times and while the Congress and AIADMK two times each. In 1996, 2001 and 2006 elections, the present BJP nominee S K Vedaratnam won on DMK ticket. He left the DMK in 2011. In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls O S Manian defeated Congress heavyweight and former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar in the nearby Mayiladuthurai constituency. Rajendran, besides serving as Vedaranyam MLA for two terms won the 1996 Lok Sabha polls as TMC nominee from Mayiladuthurai constituency defeating Aiyar.