DMK announces poll line-up, fields Azhagiri from Madurai

Chennai, April 5 (IANS) The ruling DMK Sunday announced candidates for 21 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's elder son M.K. Azhagiri has been fielded from the Madurai seat.

The list also includes union ministers T.R. Balu, A. Raja and S.S. Palani Manickam from Sriperumbudur, Nilgiris and Thanjavur seats respectively, and former union minister Dayanidhi Maran from the Central Chennai seat. Dayanidhi Maran is Karunanidhi's grand nephew.

State Minister for Local Administration and Karunanidhi's younger son M.K. Stalin said that over half the candidates are new faces.

'As promised by our leader Kalaignar (Karunanidhi), more than 50 percent of the candidates are new faces. Our campaign strategy and introduction of candidates will follow shortly,' Stalin told reporters.

The list also names candidate for the Kanyakumari constituency indicating that demands from the Congress have been rejected by the DMK leadership.

The DMK is in an electoral alliance with the Congress and VCK. The party will field candidates on 21 of the state' 39 seats.

Meanwhile, the main opposition AIADMK chief Jayalalitha met over 3,000 candidates in her party headquarters Saturday and conducted short interviews.

DMK chief Karunanidhi and other party leaders had met 540 prospective candidates for three days before announcing the list.