Tamil Nadu Congress has withdrawn a constituency-wise list of election work committee members after an internal row erupted over the inclusion of a person said to be associated with actor Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
The move comes after Vijay, speaking at a recent TVK campaign meeting in Tirunelveli, alleged that the DMK had “bought” the Congress and claimed that the “real Congress” was with his side. Congress leaders publicly rejected the claim and said no party members had moved to TVK.
To prevent Congress votes from shifting and to energise cadres, the party decided to appoint six election work committee members for each of the state’s 234 Assembly constituencies. A list prepared by state functionaries and released on social media with state president K. Selvaperunthagai’s approval was taken down within about half an hour.
Party functionaries said the list drew objections after “Ponvandu Ravi” of Royapettah was named for the Chepauk–Thiruvallikeni constituency, even though he had joined TVK along with D. Selvam earlier. District leaders also protested that appointments were made without consultation and that inactive workers and recommended names were being included. The party has put the list on hold and is preparing a revised version with district presidents’ approval.
