Former DMK man’s figures in BJP’s first list of candidates

Vedaratnam contested as an independent in the 2011 Assembly polls. BJP National Secretary H Raja and two state vice presidents are also among the 54 persons in the party’s first list of candidates released for the May 16 polls. 

According to the list of candidates put up on the BJP’s national website, Raja, a former Karaikudi MLA, will contest from T Nagar in Chennai which has traditionally favoured DMK or AIADMK. BJP’s state vice president and prominent woman leader Vanathi Sreenivasan has been fielded from Coimbatore (South) while another vice president M Chakravarthy will fight from Tiruttani, as per the details on the site. Known for making controversial remarks, Raja had earlier unsuccessfully contested from Alandur in 2006 polls. 

Sreenivasan, a familiar face in TV debates, was the party’s choice for Mylapore constituency in the city for the 2011 Assembly elections which was won by AIADMK. 

The party named its candidates for 54 constituencies including six reserved seats. Karuppu Muruganantham, who unsuccessfully contested from Thanjavur for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is fighting from Pattukottai constituency this time.