Madurai North Seat Row: AIADMK Likely to Deny Ticket to Dr Saravanan as Alliance Pushes Thirumaran

Madurai: Fresh indications from within the AIADMK suggest that senior functionary Dr Saravanan may not be allotted a ticket for the forthcoming Assembly election from the Madurai North constituency. Though he had been preparing to contest from the segment, the seat is now likely to be assigned to Thirumaran of the South Indian Forward Bloc, a party aligned with the alliance.

Dr Saravanan, who has had a long political journey across parties including the MDMK, DMK and BJP before returning to the AIADMK fold, has been positioning himself for a ministerial role. He had earlier won as an MLA from Tirupparankundram in a bypoll on a DMK ticket. However, ahead of the 2021 Assembly election, internal resistance reportedly emerged within the DMK leadership against granting him a ticket.

Sources indicate that his strained equations with senior DMK functionaries, including Moorthy and district secretary Thalapathi, contributed to the leadership’s decision. Anticipating this, Dr Saravanan switched to the BJP before the candidates’ list was announced and contested from Madurai North, but faced defeat.

Subsequently, he was embroiled in controversy over allegations linked to the incident at Madurai airport involving a slipper being hurled at the car of Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan. He later exited the BJP and rejoined the AIADMK in the presence of Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Despite limited enthusiasm within the party to contest the Lok Sabha election from Madurai, Dr Saravanan stepped forward and contested on behalf of the AIADMK, eventually finishing in third place. In the run-up to the upcoming Assembly election, he renewed efforts to secure the Madurai North seat, investing significantly in campaign visibility during Edappadi K Palaniswami’s visit to the region.

Posters, banners and cut-outs across the constituency reflected his intent, and there were indications that the party leadership had initially been amenable to his candidature. However, the entry of the South Indian Forward Bloc into the alliance through the BJP has altered the equation, with Thirumaran now emerging as the frontrunner for the seat.

Meanwhile, internal murmurs point to opposition against Dr Saravanan from within the AIADMK ranks, particularly from leaders such as Sellur Raju, RB Udhayakumar and Rajan Chellappa. It is learnt that their coordinated efforts are aimed at preventing his candidature from Madurai North, a constituency considered central to his electoral prospects.

Given these developments, the alliance arrangement is likely to be cited as the basis for denying Dr Saravanan a ticket. Sources further suggest that in the event of being overlooked, he may consider shifting allegiance once again, with indications pointing towards a possible move to the DMDK. Such speculation has also revived criticism of his frequent party switches ahead of elections.