Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay has announced support for independent candidate Premkumar in the Edappadi Assembly constituency of Salem district, after the party’s official nominee was knocked out of the race.
TVK had earlier named Arun Kumar as its candidate for Edappadi. However, his nomination was rejected as the proposers could not be verified, leading to a situation where the party would not be contesting in the constituency.
The episode also triggered controversy, with claims that Arun Kumar had been “kidnapped” and criticism from TVK functionary Aadhav Arjuna, who alleged betrayal by the party’s candidate.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Vijay said Premkumar had previously served as an office-bearer in the party’s fan club and described him as “one of our own”. He said TVK had unanimously decided to back Premkumar and urged voters to support him by casting their vote for the television box symbol, listed at serial number 12.
Vijay appealed to party functionaries and Edappadi voters to ensure Premkumar’s victory by a large margin, adding that the result should serve as a lesson to those who, he alleged, tried to block TVK’s symbol and win through “shortcuts”.
