TVK Chief Vijay Faces Decision on Vacating Assembly Seat
Trichy: The question of whether TVK chief Vijay will give up the Perambur or Trichy East assembly seat weighs heavily on the minds of party cadres and voters, even as the party strives to cobble together a majority and form the government in Tamil Nadu. Having won both segments comfortably—Perambur by a margin of 53,715 votes and Trichy East by 27,416 votes—TVK appears keen on vacating Trichy East, as Perambur will be more convenient for the chief minister-designate to frequent. Party sources expect the actor-politician to resign from Trichy East in the next few days.
Vijay won Perambur by almost twice the margin of his victory in Trichy East. He personally collected the winning certificate for Perambur but did not do so for Trichy East; the certificate was collected by Lalgudi TVK candidate Ku Pa Krishnan's son, K Chirenjeevi. Meanwhile, several potential candidates are unofficially being considered to contest the seat once Vijay vacates it.
Potential Candidates Emerge for Trichy East Bypoll
"I have been working for our leader even before he launched the political party. If he resigns, I shall formally place my request to contest," said T Karikalan, TVK's in-charge of Trichy East. Party workers prefer the leadership to consider retaining Trichy East. Despite the TVK tsunami that stunned the state, the party won only 12 out of 41 constituencies in the central region, while the DMK alliance bagged 21 seats. While TVK carved a niche in its maiden election by winning 14 of 16 seats in Chennai, its performance in the Trichy region was average.
TVK functionaries believe that Vijay's presence in Trichy East could help the party increase its influence in central and Cauvery delta districts. In districts like Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, and Mayiladuthurai, TVK did not win any seat. "The face value of Trichy East surged exponentially ever since our leader won. There is big competition to contest in Trichy East. A former IAS officer's name is being mentioned, but nothing has been finalised yet," said Gerold Milton, a TVK supporter who earlier expressed interest in contesting.
