DMK cadres asked to be cautious in 4 LS seats where NDA seen as having an edge

Chennai: The DMK leadership has instructed its cadres to be extra cautious in four Lok Sabha constituencies where the BJP-led NDA is reported to enjoy an edge.

As per state police intelligence, the NDA has an advantage in the Dharmapuri, Theni, Tirunelveli, and Vellore Lok Sabha seats.

While in Dharmpuri and Theni, the NDA candidates are from PMK (Sowmiya Anbumani) and the AMMK (T.T.V. Dhinakaran), respectively, BJP legislature party leader Nainar Nagendran is in the fray from Tirunelveli in south Tamil Nadu, and New Justice Party leader A.C. Shanumgam is contesting on a BJP ticket from Vellore.

Sources in the DMK told IANS that the party President and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has directed party General Secretary and state Water Resources Minister S. Duraimurugan to be in touch with the lower-level functionaries of the party in these four constituencies.

Duraimurugan’s son, Kathir Anand, is contesting from the Vellore Lok Sabha seat.

The DMK leadership, according to information, also has its eye on the Coimbatore, Kanniyakumari, Virudhunagar, and Nilgiris seats, where the BJP candidates are state President K. Annamalai, former Union minister, Pon Radhakrishnan, filmstar-turned-politician Raadhika Sarathkumar and Union Minister L. Murugan, respectively.

With hours only remaining for the polls, the local workers of the DMK are visiting all the homes in the four constituencies where the state police intelligence has given an edge to the BJP and NDA, and in the latter four seats also, the DMK is not taking any chance and is meeting the voters one last time.

Talking to IANS, Duraimurugan said: "This is a routine for the DMK. We are a cadre party and know our strengths and weaknesses, and in some constituencies, we are taking some extra caution. However, we are expecting a sweep and win all the 39 seats of Tamil Nadu and one seat of Puducherry."