Cadres protest against choice of candidates

Coimbatore: After the candidate list of AIADMK was released for the local body elections, nearly 20 cadres from wards 71 and 73 protested outside the party office on Huzur Road in the city on Monday. As per police officials, Rathi, a party worker from Gopalapuram, led the protest for allotting ward 73 to deputy mayor Leelavathi Unni. Rrathi demanded that since she had worked for the party for over 20 years, she should have been given the ticket.Condemning the MLAs and the rural administration minister S P Velumani, Rathi and her supporters raised slogans against MLAs and the minister.
"Leelavathi Unni has not done any work in the ward and people hate her," said Rathi. However, Leelavathi Unni claimed that she had been ticket based on her performance and hard work. "These decisions are taken at a higher level," she said.
'Race Course' Raghunath, ward secretary of ward 71, led a protest against the party's decision to field M Latha Thirumugam in his ward. "She is from Congress party and has joined our party only two months ago. I have been working in this party for several decades. The minister is biased and has ignored me. Even earlier, Congress candidate has lost in this ward. If she contests, I am sure, people will not vote for her," he said. The party cadres asked them to come on Tuesday for discussion.
Not only were the older party cadres ignored, several big names are missing from the list. From S M Velusamy to the sitting mayor P Rajkumar, many high profile politicians who have held senior party positions in the past, have not been included in the list.
V Annamal, who was a sought after name in the council and was considered to be a mayor candidate after Coimbatore was announced as reserved for women, was also not given a ticket. Sources revealed that during the assembly elections when the MLAs campaigned in her ward, she was shooed away.
Similarly, R Mylsamy of Vadavalli was also driven away from his ward when he campaigned with Amman Arjunan in the Coimbatore (South) constituency. Annamal when contacted said that she was happy and would accept the party's decision. "I will continue to work for the elections and for the betterment of the party," she said.