Jayalalithaa to start campaign on April 9, changes more candidates

Chennai, April 8: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa will begin her campaign for the May 16 assembly elections from here on Saturday. She also changed three more AIADMK candidates.

Fielding a record 227 AIADMK candidates and allotting seven seats to allies, who will also contest under the party's two leaves symbols, Jayalalithaa is trying to emulate party founder M.G.Ramachandran (MGR) to get elected for a successive term.

Actor-turned-politician MGR floated ADMK (now AIADMK) in 1972 and became the chief minister in 1977. After his death in 1987, Tamil Nadu voters have been electing DMK and AIAMDK alternatively.

Deciding to seek re-election from the Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency, Jayalalithaa will begin her party's election campaign from there on Saturday and will campaign for 15 days till May 12.

Meanwhile, Jayalalithaa, also the AIADMK general secretary, she changed three of her party candidates on Friday.

In a statement issued here she said R.Manoharan, S.Tamilarasi and I.S.Inbadurai will be the party's official candidate for Tirchy West, Trichy East and Radhapuram constituencies respectively in the place of persons announced earlier.

On Monday, the AIADMK announced the candidates for 227 seats in Tamil Nadu and all 30 seats in Puducherry but Subsequently several candidates in Tamil Nadu and three in Puducherry have been changed.