AIADMK released full list of candidates for 40 seats in Tamil Nadu, Pondy

The ruling AIADMK Sunday released the full list of 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry to be fought by it and its allies. Only eight constituencies will see arch-rivals DMK and AIADMK crossing swords one on one.

If Indiya Jananayaga Katchi (Perambalur) and Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (Namakkal), who will contest with their partner DMK's rising sun symbol and Puthiya Needhi Katchi (Vellore) that will fight in the two leaves symbol of its ally AIADMK is considered, then the clash between the two Dravidian majors will be seen in 11 Lok Sabha seats. Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam released the list in presence of Chief Minister K Palaniswami and BJP Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan.

The AIADMK leaders hailed the alliance as a "victorious" one, while BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan said people wanted "Modi again", adding that the opposition was indulging only in negative propaganda. Puthiya Needhi Katchi leader A C Shanmugam was also present during the announcement of the list.

Raising eyebrows, leaders of other alliance parties, including PMK, DMDK and Puthiya Tamizhagam, did not take part in the event held to release the list of constituencies. The DMK on Friday held a similar event in the presence of all its allies at its party headquarters.

The AIADMK will contest 20 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu, its ally PMK 7, BJP 5, DMDK 4, Tamil Maanila Congress 1, Puthiya Tamizhagam Katchi and Puthiya Needhi Katchi one seat each. The AINRC will fight from Puducherry. While the DMK is in the fray in all the three parliamentary seats here, the ruling party will be fighting only from South Chennai, leaving Central Chennai to Pattali Makkal Katchi and North Chennai to DMDK.

Other than South Chennai, the 19 other seats that AIADMK will contest are Salem, Namakkal, Krishnagiri, Erode, Karur, Tirupur, Pollachi, Aarani, Tiruvannamalai, Chidambaram (Reserved), Perambalur, Theni, Madurai, the Nilgiris (Reserved), Tirunelveli, Nagapattinam (Reserved), Tiruvallur, Mayiladuthurai and Kanchipuram. PMK will fight from Dharmapuri, Villupuram (Reserved), Arakkonam, Cuddalore, Dindigul and Sriperumbudur.

BJP will try is luck from Kanyakumari, Sivaganga, Coimbatore, Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin. DMDK has been allocated Kallakurichi, Tiruchirappalli, and Virudhunagar. Tamil Maanila Congress and Puthiya Tamizhagam will contest from Thanjavur and Thenkasi (Reserved) constituencies, respectively. Puthiya Needhi Katchi (PNK) will contest from Vellore.

(With inputs from agencies.)