AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been announced as party candidate for the June 27 by-election to the Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly Constituency, a seat vacated by her party MLA P Vetrivel.
A decision to this effect was taken at the AIADMK Parliamentary Board meeting here, Jayalalithaa said in a party statement.
She had been tipped to contest from the constituency following Vetrivel’s resignation.
Jayalalithaa had earlier represented her native Srirangam constituency prior to her conviction in the disproportionate assets case by a Bengaluru special court on September 27 last.
As a result, she had to resign her assembly membership.
She was subsequently acquitted by the Karnataka High Court on May 11, allowing her to return as Chief Minister of the state for the fifth time.
Jayalalithaa assumed the office of Chief Minister again on May 23 and would have to be elected as MLA within six months.
DMK and PMK have already announced their decision to boycott the bypoll, which comes about a year ahead of the scheduled elections to the state Assembly.
In the current Assembly, AIADMK enjoys a strong majority of 150 members in the 234-member house.
BJP, DMDK hold talks
Allies the BJP and DMDK today held discussions on the June 27 bypoll for Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency here.
Speaking to reporters after meeting DMDK founder Vijayakant at his party headquarters here, BJP state President Tamizhisai Sounderrajan said the two had held “preliminary discussions” on the issue of contesting the bypoll and that a decision would be taken in due course.
Earlier, the BJP had unsuccessfully contested the February 13 bypoll for Srirangam, which was vacated by Jayalalithaa due to her automatic disqualification following her conviction in a wealth case.
Meanwhile, activist ‘Traffic’ Ramasamy today sought the support of the DMK for his candidature for the bypoll.
DMK Treasurer M K Stalin, who met Ramasamy here, later said that party chief M Karunanidhi would take a call on this matter.