Lok Sabha polls | DMK fields former Minister Selvaganapathy in Salem

Mr. Selvaganapathy was a Minister in the AIADMK regime; he later joined the DMK, became a Rajya Sabha MP, had to resign due to his conviction in a corruption case, but is now back in the fray after he was acquitted by the Madras High Court

T.M. Selvaganapathy, the DMK’s candidate for the Salem Parliamentary constituency | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Denying a ticket to sitting MP S.R. Parthiban, the DMK has fielded T.M. Selvaganapathy from the Salem constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Mr. Selvaganapathi was the Local Administration and Rural Development Minister during the erstwhile Jayalalithaa regime (1991-96) and was later elected to the 13^th Lok Sabha (1999-2004) from the same constituency as an AIADMK candidate. In 2008, he joined the DMK and became a Rajya Sabha MP. However, he was sentenced to two of years imprisonment following his conviction by a special CBI court in a 1995 cremation shed construction scam case, and he resigned his post. After nine years, he was acquitted by the Madras High Court in November, 2023.

The AIADMK’s candidate is 31-year-old candidate P. Vignesh, an engineer, who is currently serving as deputy secretary of the Amma Peravai, and is a native of Thindamangalam village in Omalur block. His father Paramasivam, is also a party functionary while his mother Dhanabakiyam is the chairperson of the Thindamangalam panchayat.

Published - March 20, 2024 05:22 pm IST