Tamil Nadu Congress dares to go alone in Naguneri bypolls if situation arises
After addressing cadres in Nanguneri, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president KS Alagiri said that the issue of fielding a candidate will be discussed in consultation with alliance partners once the notifications for the bypolls are announced.
uoyed by its success in the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu, the Congress executive committee on Friday passed a resolution in favour of contesting the Naguneri assembly constituency where a bypoll is due. The Nanguneri seat fell vacant after Congress leader H Vasanthakumar was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kanyakumari constituency.
The meeting, which was attended by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president KS Alagiri in Tirunelveli, indicated that the party would contest in the bypolls without an alliance if a situation arose.
The Congress is part of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhaga (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu.
While addressing cadres in Nanguneri, KS Alagiri said, “Why can’t the Congress contest alone in the elections? Why are we just being an opposition party in the state for the last 50 years? Why can’t the Congress contest alone when we have a strong base in the southern Tamil Nadu? We have a strong presence in Kanyakumari, Tuticorin and Tirunelveli districts.”
However, soon after the meeting, Alagiri said that the issue of fielding a candidate will be discussed in consultation with alliance partners once the notifications for the bypolls are announced.
Notwithstanding his clarification, the resolution has created a buzz in the political circle of the state as the DMK is very keen on fielding its candidate from the Nanguneri seat.
Recently, DMK Youth wing Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin made a friendly comment in a meeting in the presence of Congress leaders urging them to give up the Nanguneri seat.