AMMK candidate uses Stalin’s image, stirs up controversy

The AMMK candidate, S Chandrasekhar, is contesting from the 13th ward of Kadayam block in Tirunelveli district.

The pamphlets have AMMK’s poll symbol and the images of Chandrasekhar and Stalin on them.

In a bizarre incident, an Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) candidate has been accused of using the image of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Chief Minister MK Stalin in his poll campaign.

The AMMK candidate, S Chandrasekhar, is contesting from the 13th ward of Kadayam block in Tirunelveli district. Notably, the ruling party has also fielded its candidate in the ward.

Even the slogan, “Chandrasekhar Thaan Vararu, Velicham Thara Poraru (Chandrasekhar is going to come, he is going to provide vision)”, which is mentioned on AMMK pamphlets, is eerily similar to DMK’s slogan for the 2021 assembly polls – “Stalin Thaan Vararu, Vidiyal Thara Poraru (Stalin is going to come, he is going to usher in the dawn).”

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The pamphlets have AMMK’s poll symbol and the images of Chandrasekhar and Stalin on them. Neither party founder TTV Dhinakaran nor VK Sasikala’s photographs were used in the pamphlets or the posters put up by the AMMK candidate and his supporters.

Speaking to the IndianExpress.com, an official from the Kadayam block, said that they have allocated ‘Pressure Cooker’ as a poll symbol to AMMK candidate Chandrasekhar and were not aware of the ‘controversial’ pamphlets or posters. He added that the officials have not received any complaint regarding the use of the image of the chief minister.

The rural local body elections are set to be held in two phases on October 6 and October 9 in nine districts – Kancheepuram, Chengalpet, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruppatur, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi. The polling will be held from 7 am till 6 pm, with the last hour being reserved for Covid-19 patients. The counting of votes will take place on October 12.

Janardhan Koushik

Janardhan Koushik is Deputy Copy Editor of indianexpress.com. He is a New Media journalist with over five years of reporting experience in the industry. He has a keen interest in politics, sports, films, and other civic issues. Janardhan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from SRM Arts and Science College and a PG Diploma in New Media from Asian College of Journalism, one of the top ranked journalism schools in India. He started his career with India Today group as a sub-editor as part of the sports team in 2016. He has also a wide experience as a script-writer having worked for short-films, pilot films as well as a radio jockey cum show producer while contributing for an online Tamil FM. As a multilingual journalist, he actively tracks the latest development in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry utiling his well-established networks to contribute significantly to breaking news stories. He has also worked as a sports analyst for Star Sports. ... Read More

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