Anbumani Ramadoss tasked with tackling the Vijay juggernaut? PMK to contest Perambur seat for NDA

The Anbumani Ramadoss-led Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has been allotted the Perambur seat by the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu, reports said.

The presence of a considerable number of Vanniyar community members in Perambur is the obvious reason for the NDA ally being given the seat, which is in the news for the potential candidature of superstar Vijay. Perambur, where the ICF coach factory is located, is a predominantly working-class and middle-class area with a significant chunk of socially backward communities and Christian minorities, along with Vanniyars and Mudaliars.

Ambattur, another seat in the Chennai suburbs, has also been allotted to the PMK, along with Salem (West), Dharmapuri, Pennagaram, and Vridhachalam.

Will Vijay contest from Chennai?

R. D. Sekar of the DMK is the incumbent Perambur MLA after he registered a thumping victory of 54,976 votes against N. R. Dhanapalan of the AIADMK. The PMK last contested the seat in 2016 when it went solo against both the Dravidian majors and managed just over 3,600 votes.

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is yet to officially announce the constituency from which Vijay will contest the upcoming polls, but many reports claim that the actor-turned-politician has zeroed in on Perambur. It is also reported that he will launch his poll campaign from the constituency, which falls under the limits of the Chennai North Lok Sabha seat.

Party general secretary Adhav Arjuna told reporters that the party had connected with over 40,000 people in the constituency in a short time, which was unprecedented in any other constituency. "Therefore, our leader should contest here, which is an important part of North Chennai," Adhav Arjuna said.