Former min fielded in Tirupur to contest in local body polls

Coimbatore: Former state forest minister MSM Anandan has been fielded as a candidate for the upcoming local body election in Tirupur by the AIADMK on Monday. He will contest from ward number 24 of the Tirupur Municipal Corporation.
AIADMK sources said since the Tirupur Corporation has been reserved for general category for the mayor post, Anandan will be elected for the post.
Anandan won from Tirupur North assembly constituency in 2011 assembly election and became the forest minister.Later, he was dropped from the state council of ministers on May 23, 2015. Meanwhile, he became close with finance minister O Panneerselvam and was reinstated as forest minister in August 9, 2015.
However, Anandan was mired in another controversy after a woman from Tirupur sent petitions to the party chief against him. An allegation cropped up that Anandan's personal assistant had cheated many people by promising them to get government jobs.
This led to the denial of ticket to Anandan in 2016 assembly election. But he has been functioning as Tirupur urban district secretary.
On Monday, luck has struck Anandan again as the party announced him as candidate for the ward 24 in Tirupur corporation and may be indirectly elected as mayor.
Tirupur corporation mayor A Vishalakshi has been denied ticket this time by the AIADMK. Sources said Tirupur Corporation has 60 wards. The party gave a chance for the three zonal chairmen John, Muthusamy and Radhakrishan. The party has given chance for 20 people again and 40 people are new faces in the local body poll in Tirupur.