LS polls: Six Paneerselvams enter fray in Ramanathapuram!

CHENNAI: Former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has decided to contest as an independent candidate in Ramanathapuram after joining the NDA but failing to get a seat. This is the seat where the BJP has maintained suspense. However, Panneerselvam decided to file papers and contest on an independent symbol.

The tension is not whether the BJP will accept his candidature, but whether he will win even with their support. Because there are a total of six people named Paneerselvam who have filed papers there. The initial of three people is 'O'. The number of Paneerselvams went up to six when A Paneerselvam from Usilampetti submitted the papers yesterday, the last day of submission of papers.

Till now, Panneerselvam contested on Anna DMK's 'two leaves' symbol and will have to now use an independent symbol after leaving it. All five Paneerselvams will have independent symbols.

Meanwhile, BJP has not responded about the candidature of OPS. It was reported that Ramanathapuram was emptied for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the deadline for submission of papers has passed, NDA support is assured for OPS. Muslim League sitting MP Nawaz Kani is the DMK front candidate here. Anna DMK candidate is Jayaperumal.

Today is the last day to submit the nomination papers. Congress is yet to decide on their candidate in Mayiladumthurai, where Mani Shankar Iyer was rumoured to contest.

Panneerselvam had hoped that his son and sitting MP P Ravindranath would get a seat in the NDA seat division. But TTV Dhinakaran of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, who came to NDA, got it. That was a major setback for OPS. Although he joined the NDA, the new party was not registered. The BJP leadership asked him to contest on the lotus symbol but he refused to accept it.