DMDK general secretary Premalatha is said to be undecided over whether to contest the upcoming election from Chennai’s Virugambakkam constituency or from Vriddhachalam.
According to party sources, the DMDK has sought Virugambakkam as part of the DMK-led alliance. The seat has a past DMDK win, when the party was in the AIADMK alliance and candidate Parthasarathi won from the constituency.
The DMK leadership is reportedly keen that either Premalatha or her son Vijay Prabhakaran contests from Virugambakkam. The reasoning, sources say, is that if Parthasarathi returns to the fray, defeating AIADMK candidate V.N. Ravi could be difficult.
Premalatha, however, is said to prefer Vriddhachalam, believing it could be favourable as it was the constituency where Vijayakanth won in the party’s first election. Meanwhile, there is talk that PMK MLA Sivakumar from Mailam wants to contest from Vriddhachalam in the AIADMK alliance, while former AIADMK minister Shanmugam may contest from Mailam.
With Premalatha believing that a PMK contest in Vriddhachalam could make victory easier, she is reportedly insisting on that seat. But with the DMK side pressing for Virugambakkam, party members say she remains caught between the two options.
