The outcome of the Lok Sabha election and the by-polls to 18 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu will usher in change of regimes at the Centre and State, said former TNCC president and the Congress candidate for the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency Su. Thirunavukkarasar.

The Congress will come to power at the Centre and the DMK will win a majority of the seats in the by-elections to the 18 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu. “The State government is likely to fall and Tamil Nadu will probably see early general election to the Assembly,” he said.

In an interview to The Hindu, Mr. Thirunavukkarasar concurred with DMK president M.K. Stalin’s allegation that the Income Tax raids at the premises of DMK treasurer Durai Murugan in Vellore and party office-bearers in Thoothukudi district were a conspiracy to cancel the by-election in a few constituencies.

Normally, during elections, officials seize money being transported for being distributed to voters. “But conducting Income Tax raids on the premises of candidates will be viewed as an attempt to defame or defeat the candidate or stop the election,” he said and pointed that only the Opposition was being targeted.

Commenting on Mr. Stalin’s claim that the AIADMK government would not continue once the Congress came to power at the Centre, Mr.Thirunavukkarasar said the AIADMK government, which was the ‘B-team of the BJP,’ could not expect from a Congress government the kind of political support that it was getting now (from the BJP) and hence would fall on its own.

Plans for Tiruchi

On deciding to contest from Tiruchi, Mr. Thirunavukkarasar said, “I had represented Pudukottai earlier and after delimitation, the constituency was abolished. Two of the Assembly segments in the erstwhile Pudukottai Lok Sabha constituency are now in Tiruchi and I am familiar with the segments. Since Ramanathapuram was allotted to the IUML in the DMK alliance, I opted for Tiruchi.”

He denied that there was any discontent in the party over his candidature. “It is normal that there will be many aspirants for a seat. It does not mean that there are as many groups as ticket seekers. Everybody is with me and cooperating,” he affirmed.

Elaborating on his promises to the electorate in the constituency, Mr.Thirunavukkarasar pointed that Tiruchi already had industries such as BHEL that was established by former Chief Minister Kamaraj, the Railway Workshop, Ordnance Factory and ancillary units of BHEL. “There are possibilities of developing the city as an industrial hub, given its advantages such as the central location and availability of all necessary infrastructure,” he said.

If elected, he would also work for expediting the expansion of the airport and improve air and rail connectivity to the city. “Tiruchi is also a major centre for education and healthcare and I will strive to establish research-oriented institutions in both sectors,” Mr.Thirunavukkarasar said.